SABAH FC kept their hopes alive when they scored a dramatic late equaliser to draw 2-2 against Selangor FC in the first leg semi-final of the FA Cup at the Likas Stadium last Sunday.
Our new striker this season, Ajdin Mujagic was the toast of the team when he scored both goals.
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Sabah FC were once again able to find the net in the early minutes of the first half. Ajdin was at the right place to head home from a pass by Jafri Chew in the 13th minute for the first goal and his sixth in the campaign.
It was a dream start for Sabah FC as the early breakthrough certainly helped to calm the players’ nerves.
They were able to focus on the game and looked more comfortable to deny the visitors getting the goal.
However, despite creating many scoring opportunities themselves in the remaining minutes, they were unable to convert any and the score remained 1-0 at half time.
Any own goal by Dane Ingham in the 65th minute gave Selangor FC a morale booster. It was a wise decision for the coach to make some substitutions as Sabah FC’s game was getting stale.
The change started the engine room roaring again and it was a much better contest as both teams tried hard to outdo each other to find the second goal.
The break finally came in the 80th minute and it was Selangor FC who found the net. A looping header from a free kick taken by Faisal Halim sailed past Damien Lim in goal.
I was very pleased to see our boys continued to fight with 10 minutes remaining and they were rewarded in injury time when Ajdin pounced on a loose ball during a goalmouth melee to score the equaliser.
Overall, it was a much better performance from Sabah FC than the last match against the same team.
However, the boys tend to lose focus in between spells. A game is never over until the final whistle is blown. They must continue to play as a unit and never lose their direction.
On another note, it was good to see both Sabah FC and Kuching City FC are involved in the semi-final matches.
Kuching City lost the first leg 1-2 to big boys Johor Darul Ta’zim FC and it will be tough for them to overcome the score in the second leg away from home, but one can never know the final outcome until you try, while Sabah FC still have a 50-50 chance to progress to the final.
The result will be known on Nov 30 and what a historic moment for Borneo football if Sabah FC and Kuching City FC are able to make the final.
