Kota Kinabalu: Ajdin Mujagic made a stellar return to Likas Stadium as he helped his new club Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) to thrash Sabah FC 6-1 in the Super League clash on Sunday.
The former Rhino, who left to join JDT FC during the January open window, scored twice and made two assists in the one-sided match.
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The visitors took an early lead in the seventh minute with Bergson Da Silva converting a penalty after being fouled by Dane Ingham inside the box.
Mujagic then displayed his prowess in front of goal by netting his first strike in the 20th minute through a diagonal shot.
Just four minutes later, he set up Oscar Aribas with a long ball that helped JDT FC extend their lead to 3-0 followed by his second of the match in the 38th minute, pouncing on a loose ball to put JDT FC four goals ahead at halftime.
Sabah FC conceded two quick goals after the restart with the first from Manuel Federico Hidalgo in the 46th minute, and two minutes later, Aribas netted again thanks to a perfect through ball from Mujagic.
Despite the heavy defeat, Sabah FC managed to find some solace when newly signed Chris Marlon Ondong Mba scored a consolation goal with a well-taken volley in the 88th minute.
Rhinos’ acting head coach Alto Linus has attributed his team’s 1-6 loss to critical mistakes made by his players.
He expressed his frustration over the numerous errors that led to the team’s downfall.
“Mistake after mistake made by the players caused us to be punished. We were easily taken advantage of, and this is something we need to address immediately to avoid repeating in future matches,” he stated.
He emphasised the importance of learning from this defeat as the team prepares for their next challenge.
“Overall, we have to improve, especially regarding the goals we’ve conceded that were caused by our own mistakes. If we don’t fix these issues, we could face similar outcomes in upcoming matches.”
