Rhinos maintain unbeaten run

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah continued to maintain their form by notching a one-all draw with high-riding Kedah in the Group C Malaysia Cup tie, in Alor Star, on Saturday.

The Rhinos, top the Group C table, having collected seven points from three matches with two wins and a draw.

Team manager Rahman Zakaria, when contacted, said the draw against Super League outfit Kedah was evidence of a high-class performance during Saturday's game at Darulaman Stadium.

Describing it as a tough game, he was optimistic that Lady Luck was on their side to salvage a point after warding off relentless attacks by the Canaries when striker Slyvester Sindih grabbed the equaliser in the 90th minute.

He believes that Sabah had regained their momentum with the magical touch of Croatian coach Drago Mamic at the helm.

"I want them to continue maintaining their form in other matches in the league," he said.

On the Rhinos' overall performance, Rahman said his charges are now tuned to the plans and strategies given by Drago during the training sessions.

"All of the players have demonstrated that they deserve to be in the first eleven," he said, while admitting that Kedah gave them a tough time throughout the 90 minutes of action.

"From the start they never gave us a chance to breathe, and they opened the account through Roshaidi Wahab in the 59th minute. Nevertheless the Rhinos never stopped creating chances which finally paid off with Sylvester finally finding the net before the final whistle," he said.

Rahman was happy with the result, saying the important thing was to have secured a point for the night.

Rahman believes his charges would have little problem to repeat their feat when they take on Pahang in Kuantan, if they continue to maintain their form.

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Rhinos face big test

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah will face their biggest test of the season thus far when they take on Kedah in a Group C Malaysia Cup match at the Darulaman Stadium on Saturday night.

The Rhinos who currently lead the table standings with six points from two wins over Perak and Sarawak have no intention to take things lightly as Kedah too shares similar points after winning two matches.

Team manager Rahman Zakaria said this would be their biggest test of the season to date.

"Kedah are no pushovers É they have won two matches straight by good score margins," he said, adding, they recently beat Super League giants Perlis.

"It will be an all-out affair in the match because we know that we need to score goals early to control the game," he revealed.

Nevertheless, despite the task at hand, he said they are not pressured at all. "A draw in the game would be enough but not losing."

He said Kedah are a good strong team in the Super League but that would not deter the players from giving their best in the game.

"Our strategy as I have said earlier, is to score an early goal to build up confidence as we progress with the match," he said on Friday.

Rahman is confident Sabah will emerge as winners. "This is based on the Rhinos' performance over their last few matches É so far we have done well and scored goals even when playing against a Super League team."

"So whatever the outcome is tomorrow it would be favourable for us," he added.

On the first eleven, Rahman said all the players who have played against Sarawak last weekend will be in action.

"So far we are blessed as there are no injuries in our team," he said, adding, " it has boosted the players' spirit and morale."

Sabah's probable line-up: G. Jeevanathan, Ronny Harun, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Prince Eboagwu Etuew, Arkadiusz Jerzy Zarlznski, Charles Obi, S. Sunder, Rosidn Wasli, Chow Chee Wing, Rajes Perumal and Julamri Muhammad.

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Rhinos brimming with confidence

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah will be going great guns when they take on Sarawak in a Malaysia Cup Group C match here at the Likas Stadium on Saturday night.

After winning their league-opening match against Perak last week, the Rhinos are brimming with confidence and raring to grab all three points at stake.

Team manager Rahman Zakaria on Friday said it would not be impossible for them to turn the tables on the Super League team.

"The reason I'm saying this is because we are playing on homeground and that is good enough for us to grab all three points," he said, adding, "based on our homeground record we actually play very well."

"Our opponents are a good and capable team but that doesn't mean we are going to hand it to them easily," he stressed.

"We are currently placed second behind Kedah in Group C with three points while Sarawak are placed bottom after losing their opening match last week.

"I hope the players will rise to the occasion and continue their winning streak," he said, adding, "if we play great it should be no problem for us to win at least one silverware this season."

He said the Rhinos would need to score goals early to build their momentum in the match.

"I will be happy if we come out with a 1-0 win but extra goals will be a bonus," he added.

"If the players maintain their true form and play according to strategy I believe we will come out victorious tomorrow," he added.

Sabah's probable line-up: G. Jeevanathan, Ronny Harun, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Prince Eboagwu Etuew, Arkadiusz Jerzy Zarlznski, Charles Obi, S. Sunder, Rosidn Wasli, Chow Chee Wing, Rajes Perumal and Julamri Muhammad.

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Rhinos draw in drama- filled match

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah drew 1-1 to share points with bottom-of-table KL Plus FC in a Premier League match that was filled with drama during and after the match in Likas Tuesday night.

Dissatisfaction and frustration with the sub-standard refereeing saw water bottles and other objects being thrown onto the field shortly after referee Syawal Ibrahim blew the final whistle.

Right after the match, officials from Sabah's management and Sabah FA were seen going to the centre of the field apparently to voice out their dissatisfaction with the referee and his assistants.

The match had earlier started on a slow note with both sides finding it difficult to break the deadlock.

The only highlight in the first half was when the Rhinos had to clear the ball off the line from KL Plus' striker Mohd Badrul Hisini Abd Rahman in a follow-up strike to a powerful free kick by striker Mohd Lot Abu Hassan from the top of the box that was palmed away by Sabah's goalie, G. Jeevananthan in the 20th minute.

In a bid to swing the game for the Rhinos, Coach Drago Mamic made a tactical change by substituting winger, Juramri Muhd with striker Sylvester Sindih early in the first half.

During the first half, referee Syawal flashed at least four yellow cards with three of them to Sabah and one to KL Plus.

In the second half, the drama began to unfold when in the 53rd minute right attacking back P. Rajesh accidentally handled the ball while chasing a high loose ball following a try by a KL Plus player inside the penalty box.

Syawal did not hesitate to award a penalty to clubside KL Plus that was converted by Mohd Badrul whose low shot to the left sent Jeevananthan the wrong way to make it 1-0.

Just two minutes earlier, Sabah's hitman Charles Obi had a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper after outrunning his marker to chase a high ball in but he ballooned his shot.

His partner up front, Arkadiusz Jerzy Zarlzynski from Poland also had a bad night that saw Coach Drago Mamic having to adjust his position to midfield in the first half and later to skipper Ronny Harun's position in the right back.

Ronny who was asked to play in midfield to accommodate the change later reverted back to his original position when Zarlzynski was finally substituted with nippy left winger, Azrul Ejati Damsah.

The home fans began to show their disappointment with the match officials when on several occasions Sabah players were brought down inside the KL Plus penalty box but went unpunished.

The jeering grew louder as the fans became frustrated by the delay tactic employed by KL Plus.

Then came Sabah's equalising goal with 15 minutes left to play that was scored amidst confusion in the KL Plus defence as several players were down inside their box.

Sabah's left back, S. Sunder controlled a goal kick by KL Plus custodian Mohd Amrol Jaihan and from over 40 metres out lobbed the ball over the out-of-positioned goal keeper to level the score 1-1.

Seconds before the goal, a KL Plus defender went down after chasing Obi inside the box but Sabah continued to press forward since referee Syawal had waved play-on.

A through ball into the KL Plus box resulted in more players including a Rhinos falling to the ground after a harsh tackle that could have been a penalty.

On seeing the incident and despite several players lying on the ground, KL Plus goalie, Mohd Amrol immediately picked up the ball for a goal kick and instead of kicking it out to touch sent the ball up field.

Since the referee did not stop play, Sunder put the ball to the back of KL Plus' net leaving Mohd Amrol rooted to the spot. The equaliser raised Rhinos spirit but was continuously frustrated by KL Plus' delaying tactic.

The referee ended the match just before the three minutes of injury time was up. It took several minutes for the commotion to subside before the match officials returned to the dressing rooms.

With the draw, the Rhinos now have six points while KL Plus FC collected only their second point in this season so far.

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Rhinos aim to stay unbeaten

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah who notched two straight wins last week aim to stay unbeaten when they play clubside KL Plus in a Premier League challenge at Likas Stadium today (Feb 13).

Team manager Rahman Zakaria said his team has made an impressive comeback by winning two straight matches, beating Super League teams, Malacca and Perak in the FA Cup and the Malaysia Cup competition.

"It was an impressive performance by the players last week and hopefully they will weave the same magic," he said on Monday.

We played a total of four matches and have accumulated five points from a win and two draws in the Premier League, he said, adding the Rhinos are now a more serious side compared to when the league just started .

"So our main aim tomorrow is to win against the clubside," he said, adding the players will be otherwise wasting their home ground advantage.

"We have to fully use the advantage we have when playing on homeground É I will be happy if we come out with a 1-0 win but extra goals will be a bonus," he added.

Rahman said he is confident his charges will deliver all three points from the match based on their performance when they took on Super League outfits Malacca and Perak.

"If the players maintain their form and play according to strategy I believe we will come out victorious, he added.

"I just hope that the players will not be over confident É I hope they play according to what coach Drago Mamic has taught them during training."

Sabah's probable line-up: G. Jeevanathan, Ronny Harun, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Prince Eboagwu Etuew, Arkadiusz Jerzy Zarlznski, Charles Obi, S. Sunder, Rosdin Wasli, Chow Chee Wing, Rajes Perumal and Julamri Muhamad.

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We're no pushovers: Rhinos

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah will be out to defend their territory when they take on Super League outfits Perak in the Malaysia Cup challenge at the Likas Stadium today.

The Rhinos who had just won the FA Cup first round match against Malacca on Tuesday will be out to show their fans and critics that they mean business and are no pushovers.

Team manager Rahman Zakaria said he is upbeat that his team would earn all three points from the match that will be played at home.

"We will win the crucial points no matter what it takes," he said, adding, less than a win will not be acceptable.

Rahman said during their few days' rest, the players have trained and practised various strategies that could help them in their match against Perak.

"They (Perak) have shown that they are good and capable of stealing the limelight even though they are playing away," he said, adding, "that is why I have reminded the players (Rhinos) over and over again to play confidently and play with full determination."

"We have patched some of the weaknesses during training and hopefully this time all departments especially our attack and defence would do their job well and ensure that we win," he pointed out.

He also hoped to see fans come and cheer the State squad. "The support will further boost the players' morale and spirit," he added.

Sabah's probable line-up: Ronny Harun, Jeevanathan A/L Gunasekaran (GK), Burhan Ajui, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Charles Obi, S. Sunder, Rosdin Wasli, Chow Chee Wing, Henry Soimpon, Henry Parsi and Bobby Gonzales.

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Rhinos gunning for glory

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah will be gunning for glory when they take on Malacca in the FA Cup first round match at the Likas Stadium on Tuesday.

The Rhinos who had a three-week break, are now raring to grab full points from the match. The winner will automatically qualify for second roundof the competition which will be played on a knock-out basis.

Team manager, Rahman Zakaria said the match against Malacca is very crucial. "A win is what matters the most. We cannot afford to lose as losing means we will be out of contention in the FA Cup."

"This is a new system introduced by FAM (Football Association Malaysia) and hopefully the players would give their best in the match,' he said on Monday.

Rahman said his charges have had enough rest over the last three weeks. "I can see that the players are raring to compete in the match," he said, adding, hopefully Sabah will come out as winner.

"We are playing on homeground and that is an advantage for us," he said.

On the Rhinos strategy, Rahman said chief coach Drago Mamic had already prepared the team.

"It is just a matter of the players putting it (plan) into action," he said, revealing, the coach had put the plan together during the break and it had been put into practice a few times.

He said the players would need to score an early goal to build confidence as they progress with the match.

"Our opponents are a good team but that doesn't mean we are going to give up easily," he stressed.

Sabah's probable line up: Jeevanathan A/L Gunasekaran (GK), Burhan Ajui, Ronny Harun, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Charles Obi, S. Sunder, Rosdin Wasli, Chow Chee Wing, Henry Soimpon, Henry Parsi and Paulus Shipanga.

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