Sabah vs Kedah (Full Time)

Malaysia Cup Group B 30 Jun 2008

	Home	Score	Away
	Sabah	3-3	Kedah
		Scorer
18'	Bobby	1-0
37'		1-1	Muhymeen
45'	David	2-1
49'		2-2	Muhymeen
70'		2-3	Marlon
79'	Wong	3-3
		Other Matches
	Johor FC	3-1	Penang
	Kuala Lumpur	0-7	PDRM

Sabah Lines-up

Irwan Jamil,Dragic Dalibor, Wong Sai Kong, Zuraindey Jumai, Nafuzi Zain(Eddy Gapil),Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Hishamuddin Othman, Chow Chee Weng(Md Radzi Husin), Zainizam Marjan, David Njuko, Bobby Gonzales(Azrul Ejati Damsah)

Yellow Card: Dragic Dalibor(2), Hishamuddin Othman(2), Zainizam Marjan
Red Card : Hishamuddin Othman, Dragic Dalibor

-

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BANKING ON DAVID

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will have to rely on Nigerian striker David Njoku to spearhead their attack when they take on reigning champions Kedah in a Malaysia Cup Group B challenge at the Likas Stadium tonight. The Rhinos will be without two strikers – Salvester Sindeh and Andre Scotti Ossemer.

Salvester, who notched the winning goal for Sabah against Johor FC last Friday, will miss the game due to suspension, while Andre, who did not feature in the victory, is down with a groin injury and facing a long-term layoff.

Bobby Gonzales is the only notable striker left in the team who could possibly shoulder the responsibility with David.

“We know it will be great to have both Salvester and Andre for this game. However, this thing has happened and we have to live with it,” said Rahman Zakaria.

“I believe the team are just as good as without the two players, and I hope they will put up another spirited show against Kedah.

“This is an opportunity for us to improve our position in the standings and I hope the players realise how important the game is for the team.

“When you look how close the points are in the standings, I can say that every match will be important, not only for us but for the other teams as well,” the Rhinos’ team manager added.

In the absence of Salvester and Andre, Rahman hopes David or Bobby would do a good job for the team.

The Adebayor look-a-like striker, who made his debut in the 2-3 defeat to Kuala Lumpur, is yet to find the net after two games, and Rahman wants to see the Nigerian Under-23 player start scoring.

“We played quite well against Johor FC, and I hope the players can take it from there and try to improve. I also want to see them work as a team and fight for the ball without any hesitation.

“As long as the players are willing to fight it out and are willing to run for the team, I’m pretty optimistic about our chances,” said Rahman.

Tonight, the Rhinos’ head coach is unlikely to make any major changes to his winning squad with Irwan Jamil likely to be retained as the ball stopper, while Dragic Dalibor and Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, who played extremely well in the last game will be the driving force at the backline.

Stand-in skipper Zainizam Marjan, Wong Sai Kong, Chow Chee Wing and Hishamuddin Othman are also likely to start and the same goes for Mohd Radzi Hussin and Zuraindey Jumai.

A victory for Sabah tonight will see them move up from the bottom of the six-team standings and could also move to second should other results favour them.

Elsewhere, Group B table-toppers Kuala Lumpur take on second-placed Police at the KLFA Stadium, while Penang will be on the road to play Johor FC at the Jcorp Stadium in Pasir Gudang.

The other group (A & B) fixtures will see Melaka versus Terengganu at the Hang Jebat Stadium, while Kelantan will entertain Selangor at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru. The other Group A tie will see Sarawak take on Negeri Sembilan at the Sarawak Stadium.

In the Group C challenge, Johor Pasir Gudang will be pitted against Perak at the Tan Sri Dato’ Hj Hassan Yunos Stadium, while Armed Forces will play home to Perlis at the MP Selayang Stadium with the unbeaten UPB-MyTeam taking on Pahang at the MBPJ Stadium.

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Results throw Group B challenge wide open

KOTA KINABALU: The Rhinos can now breathe a sigh of relief at least for the time being after finally notching their first win on Friday in the ongoing Malaysia Cup competition.

The hard-fought 2-1 victory over Johor FC has given them new hope of fighting for a place in the quarterfinals in the Group B challenge.

Anything less than a win could have virtually ended the Rhinos’ challenge but now their chances are as good as any of the teams in the group.

Having said that, consistency will still play a key factor on how far they can progress in the country’s most prestigious competition.

And with none of the teams in the group yet to show any form of consistency, it’s still anybody’s guess which teams deserve to march into the next round, especially after a night of upset results on Friday that has thrown the Group B challenge wide open.

Kuala Lumpur stunned defending champions Kedah 1-0 at the Darul Aman Stadium in Alor Star, while Police edged Pulau Pinang 3-1.

The updated Group B standings have Kuala Lumpur in the lead with six points followed by Police (five), Johor FC (four), Kedah (four) and Pulau Pinang (three).

Sabah, whom despite the victory, remain bottom of the group on three points.

“After what had transpired on Friday, all six teams remain on course for a place in the quarterfinals,” an upbeat Rhinos’ team manager Rahman Zakaria said.

“We may be bottom of the group but the points are so tight that we can’t say who has the better chances to qualify.

“We are only three points behind the top teams and that says much about the group … we will do our best,” he added.

The Malaysia Cup group stage is divided into three groups of six teams each where the top two and the two best-ranked third placed teams advance into the last eight.

“Now what we need is consistency. As long as we can do it I’m optimistic we will make it into the knockout stage,” said Rahman.

“The team had a good game but there is room for improvement … I don’t think they have reached their potential yet,” he said of the Rhinos’ victory.

“More games are needed and hopefully they will improve as the competition progresses,” he added.

“I hope it is the beginning of a more positive road ahead. Credit to the players, they performed with steely determination and showed the will to win.

“I like to remind them (the players) not to get carried away by the win. They must focus hard during the remaining matches … nothing is impossible to achieve,” he said, while thanking the support from the die-hard Rhinos’ fans.

Rahman was also furious with the referee for failing to send off Andres Fuentes Gustavo who shoved Ahmad Tharmini Saiban on the face before kicking at Dragic Dalibor in an off-the-ball incident.

Gustavo received a yellow card for the second offence.

Earlier, Gustavo gave the visiting side the lead in the 27th minute, before Hishamuddin Othman levelled from a curling free-kick in the 36th minute.

Striker Salvester Sindeh then displayed some good ball control to slide the ball home for the winner in the 57th minute.

However, Salvester will sit out the next match after being sent off for two bookable offences.

The Rhinos will face recently crowned Super League and FA Cup champions Kedah at the Likas Stadium on Monday (June 30).

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Rhinos notch first win

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah put up an improved performance to snatch their first win after defeating Johor FC 2-1 in a Malaysia Cup Group B challenge at the Likas Stadium last night.

The comeback victory eventually put Sabah back on track for a place in the next round. Striker Salvester Sindeh was the hero of the night for the Rhinos by scoring the winner before turning villain when he was sent off in the dying seconds of the game.

The visiting Johor FC stunned the Rhinos when their hitman Andres Fuentes Gustavo drew first blood in the 28th minute by slotting home a grounder. It started when See Kok Luen was left unmarked inside the penalty box. He then fed Fuentes who easily defeated the hapless Sabah custodian Irwan Jamil from close range.

But a spectacular free-kick from about 30 metres by Hisamuddin Othman put Sabah on level terms in the 36th minute. In the first-half injury time, Fuentes squandered the chance to restore the lead for the visitors when a loose ball found the unmarked Argentine inside the box, but it was fortunate for Sabah as his weak attempt from close range was cleared by the alert Irwan.

After the break, Sabah finally found the much needed lead when new signing David Njoku set up Salvester to go on solo after he outran a Kedah defender to go one-on-one with the keeper. Salvester coolly unleashed a grounder that defeated former Sabah custodian G. Jeevanatham. Both teams had equal chances of scoring after that, but none found the net as Salvester saw red in the 90th minute for a second yellow card offence for kicking the ball away after the referee blew for offside.

However, the three points earned was not enough for Sabah to move them out from the bottom of the six-team standings. Sabah’s next game is against reigning champions Kedah on Monday at the same venue.

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SABAH WON! 1st win!

Malaysia Cup Group B 27 Jun 2008

	Home	Score	Away
	Sabah	2-1	Johor FC
		Scorer
28'		0-1	Fuentes
36'	Hishamuddin	1-1
56'	Sylvester	2-1
	PDRM	3-1	Penang
	Kedah	0-1	Kuala Lumpur

Sabah Lines-up

Irwan Jamil, Dragic Dalibor, Wong Sai Kong, Zuraindey Jumai(Nafuzi Zain), Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Hishamuddin Othman, Radzi Husin(Zulamri Md), Chow Chee Weng, Zainizam Marjan, David Njuko, Sylvester Sindeh

Yellow Card: Sylvester Sindeh(2)
Red Card:Sylvester Sindeh

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It’s 'WIN or BUST' for the Rhinos!

KOTA KINABALU: It will be a case of “WIN or BUST” for the Rhinos when they take on Johor FC in a Malaysia Cup Group B challenge at the Likas Stadium tonight.

Not even a draw will be good for the team after succumbing to defeats in their first two games.

“This is a game where we must win at all costs in order to survive,” Rahman Zakaria admitted.

“Anything less will be fatal for the team,” he added.

“When we look at our last two games, without disrespect to Penang and Kuala Lumpur, they are considered among the weakest in the group, and we lost our battles against both teams.

“And unless we can score a victory over Johor FC, all will be over for us tomorrow because we just cannot hope to win our remaining games when we cannot do the job against the likes of Kuala Lumpur or Penang,” the Rhinos’ team manager said.

Besides Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Johor FC, reigning champions Kedah and Police complete the six-team Group B.

The Rhinos, who reached the semi-finals last season, lost 1-3 in the opening game to Penang at the Likas Stadium. And on Tuesday, Salvester Sindeh and Mohd Radzi Hussin saved them from further embarrassment as the duo scored a goal each in the dying seconds before bowing out 2-3 to Kuala Lumpur.

Failing to improve on their lacklustre performances, they could expect a thrashing by a well balanced side like Johor FC.

Tonight, Sabah’s new signing, David Njoku, dubbed as Adebayor, by his agent Ricky B. Swen Jr, will be making his home debut for the team.

The 19-year-old Nigerian striker is likely to spearhead the Rhinos’ attack together with Brazilian Andre Scottie Ossemer.

David last played for St. Joseph Warriors FC of Liberia.

According to Ricky, he (David) also had stints with several top clubs in Nigeria, including Sharks FC of Portacourt (Nigeria), before seeking greener pastures overseas.

He also had international experience being part of the Nigerian Under-23 squad where he was called up five times.

Ricky said David also had attended a series of trials in France, with PSG (France) and FC Brugg (Belgium).

“He was successful in the trials, but the winter was so strong and he could not stay from December 2007 to February 2008.

“Sabah will benefit a lot from his scoring ability,” said Ricky, the man who brought former Sabah hot shot, Liberian Josiah Seton.

David made his debut for the team in the defeat to Kuala Lumpur since replacing out-of-contract Georgian striker Kokhrei Dze Irakli.

Either Salvester Sindeh or Bobby Gonzales could form a three-man attack should the Rhinos’ head coach Drago Mamic opt for an all-out attacking game.

Zuraindey Jumai, Mohd Nafuzi Zain, Chow Chee Wing and Hishamuddin Othman are likely to be at the midfield, while Dragic Dalibor, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Wong Sai Kong and Munir Amran will be the driving force at the backline with either Harold John or Irwan Jamil the team’s ball stopper.

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LOST! LOST!!!!

Malaysia Cup Group B 24 Jun 2008

	Home	Score	Away
	Kuala Lumpur	3-2	Sabah
		Scorer
27'	Azwan	1-0
64'	Stanley	2-0
85'	Stanley	3-0
88'		3-1	Sylvester
90'		3-2	Radzi
	Penang	0-1	Kedah
	PDRM	0-0	Johor FC

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Rhinos hoping to field David against City Boys

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will be hoping to get its new signing David Njuko’s International Transfer Certificate (ITC) in time for the clash against Kuala Lumpur as they search for their first victory in the Malaysia Cup Group B challenge.

The Rhinos who were beaten 1-3 at home by Penang in the opener will now have to pick up the points on the road as they take on fellow Premier League outfit Kuala Lumpur at the Kuala Lumpur Football Association in Cheras tonight.

Although the Nigerian striker was not part of the traveling squad that left for the national capital yesterday, but he will take the earliest flight to Kuala Lumpur should his ITC arrive ahead of the clash.

Njuko, who last played for Warrior FC in the Liberian Premier League, has been roped in to replace the out-of-contract Georgian striker Kokhrei Dze Irakli.

“It is only a matter of getting his ITC before he could make his debut,” said Sabah FA Executive Secretary Harry Baking yesterday.

Harry hopes that the Rhinos will start to get their act right in order to put them back on the right track for a place in the next round.

“We just have to start getting the points or it will be too late,” Harry said.

“In this Cup competition there is little room for slip-ups. Furthermore, after this clash we have two tough matches coming,” he said, referring to Sabah’s date with two Super League outfits Johor FC and Kedah.

Sabah will play at home in both matches with the Southern club side being the first visitors (on Friday), while the date with Kedah has been slated for Monday.

Tonight, Sabah will again have to rely on Brazilian striker Andre Scotti Ossemer in attack with either Bobby Gonzales or Salvester Sindeh his possible partner.

In midfield, Mohd Nafuzi Zain should return to the first team. He is likely to orchestrate the engine room together with Zuraindey Jumai, Chow Chee Wing and Hisamuddin Othman.

At the backline, Mohd Munir Amran is also likely to start the game after being sidelined in the opener.

He will share the responsibility together with Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Dragic Dalibor, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban and Wong Sai Kong with Harold John likely to be retained as the number one ball stopper for the team.

Elsewhere on the night, Super League champions, Kedah, who bagged a double after being crowned the FA Cup champions on Saturday, take on Penang in an away battle while Police face Johor FC.

In the Group A challenge, Negeri Sembilan will host Terengganu while Selangor will take on Sarawak. The other Group A tie will see Kelantan pitted against Melaka.

Pahang will take on Perak in a Group C tie while Perlis versus UPB-MyTEAM and Armed Forces play Johor Pasir Gudang.

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RHINOS BEATEN

KOTA KINABALU: Half-hearted Rhinos went down 3-1 to Penang in the Malaysia Cup Group B opener at the Likas Stadium last night.

Despite taking the lead with Bobby Gonzales slotting home the opener after 10 minutes of play, the Rhinos were forced to end the night empty handed as gritty Penang deservedly walked out of the field as victors.

It was the visitors who had the first shot at goal when Mohd Farizal Rozali found space inside the penalty box, but only to find his second minute attempt cleared by Sabah custodian Harold John for a fruitless corner.

Then Sabah launched a counter attack and Zuraindey Jumai coolly fed Bobby with a throughball and Bobby did not disappoint his team-mates as his grounder shot from inside the box defeated the Penang keeper Mohd Faizal Mohd Yusof.

Four minutes later, Andre Scotti Ossemer could have extended the lead but unfortunately his close range header off a corner taken my Hisamuddin Othman bounced off the ground and went wide.

In the 16th minute Penang skipper Mat Saiful Mohammad put his side on level terms with a powerful grounder from the edge of the penalty box that deflected off Hardy Charles Parsi’s leg before it went into the back of the net defeating the hapless Harold.

Mohd Farizal could have put his side into the lead in the 21st minute, but again Harold was in his element as he palmed away Mohd Farizal’s attempt for a corner.

In the 31st minute, Penang finally took the lead when Suhaimi Ishak unleashed a powerful shot from inside the box that defeated Harold for the second time on the night.

It was a scrappy second half, but it was all over for the home side when Mat Saiful scored his second goal and third for his team with a beautifully taken free-kick from about 25 metres in the 73rd minute.

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Sabah Lost at Home

Malaysia Cup Group B 11 Jun 2008

	Home	Score	Away
	Sabah	1-3	Penang
		Scorer
10'	Bobby	1-0
16'		1-1	Saiful
30'		1-2	Shahrin
72'		1-3	Saiful
	Johor FC	3-1	Kuala Lumpur
	Kedah	1-1	PDRM

Sabah Lines-up

Harold John(GK), Dragic Dalibor, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Zuraindey Jumai, Hishamuddin Othman, Zainizam Marjan(C)(Azrul Ejati Damsah), Eddy Gapil(Chow Chee Weng), Hardy Charles Parsi(Mohd Farid Saibun), Wong Sai Kong, Andre Scotti, Bobby Gonzalez

Yellow card:Zuraidey Jumai, Wong Sai Kong, Azrul Ejati Damsah
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Rhinos begin M'sia Cup campaign today

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah kick off their Group B Malaysia Cup campaign today (Wednesday) when they host Super League side Penang at the Likas Stadium here at 8.15pm.

The Rhinos will surely want to make the best of start to their campaign and give fans something to cheer about following their dismal finish in the Premier League this season.

Having qualified for the semi-finals in the same competition last season, it remains to be seen if Sabah can once again go the same distance this season but judging from the company they have been drawn into in Group B, it will be an uphill task. Sabah have been drawn together with reigning champions Kedah, Police, which together with Penang are playing in the Super League and Premier League outfits Kuala Lumpur as well as Johor FC.

In this year's competition, 18 teams have been drawn into three groups consisting six teams per group.

Group A consist Selangor, Terangganu, Negri Sembilan Naza, Kelantan, Sarawak and Melaka while Group C are made up by Perak, Perlis, Pahang, Armed Forces (ATM), UPB-MyTea, and Johor Pasir Gudang.

The two top teams in each group will qualify for the quarterfinals together with the two best third-placed teams. The final of the Malaysia Cup has been scheduled for Aug 23 at the Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Sabah first round fixtures will see them open their campaign at home against Penang (June 11), before travelling to Kuala Lumpur on June 24.

The Rhinos are then scheduled to play Police and Kedah on June 27 and June 30, respectively (both at home) before ending their first round fixture away against Johor FC on July 3.

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Rhinos out to make amends

KOTA KINABALU: The Rhinos are not willing to be seen as mere passengers when the Malaysia Cup kicks off on Wednesday.

Instead they are determined to make amends after a disappointing campaign in the just concluded Premier League.

However, Rahman Zakaria admits it is not going to be an easy battle especially when they have the likes of reigning champions Kedah in the Group B challenge.

The Rhinos’ team manager said Johor FC, Penang, Police and Kuala Lumpur will also not be easy opponents.

Nevertheless, he added they will surely try to do their level best and make their presence felt in the country’s oldest competition.

“It will be the same faces that will spearhead our challenge,” said Rahman, indicating that they are not signing any new players.

“There may be two or three players from the Reserve League that we might use for the Malaysia Cup, but their presence would be for exposure purposes.

“There is nothing wrong with the current players. We believe they can deliver. So now I really hope they prove that they are able to play and compete with the other teams in the competition,” said Rahman.

“We have several players who attended trials with the team during the break, but none really impress us. We also have a few foreign players attending trials, but the way I look at it, we may be sticking to the same players,” he said, referring to Bosnia-Herzegovina Dragic Dalibor, Brazilian Andre Scotti Ossemer and Georgian Kokhrei Dze Irakli.

To a question, Rahman said they have set a modest target for the team.

“I think we are not asking too much from the players. We are eyeing a place in the quarterfinals and would take it from there,” said Rahman, while calling for all out support from the fans in helping them realise their mission.

Sabah need to finish among the top two in the group in order to gain automatic entry into the quarterfinals.

They would also still march into the next round if they can finish among the best two third-placed teams in the three-group competition.

Sabah kick off their campaign by taking on Penang at the Likas Stadium.

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Malaysia Cup 2007/08 Group Stage

Date	VS	Result	Scorers	POS
11 Jun	Penang (H)	1-3	Bobby	6th
24 Jun	Kuala Lumpur (A)	2-3	Sylvester, Radzi	6th
27 Jun	Johor FC (H)	2-1	Hishamuddin, Sylvester	6th
30 Jun	Kedah (H)	3-3	Bobby, David, Wong	5th
03 Jul	PDRM (A)	3-4	Sylvester, David(2)	5th
06 Jul	Penang (A)	1-0	Sylvester	4th
09 Jul	Kuala Lumpur (H)	1-2	Zainizam	5th
12 Jul	Johor FC (A)	1-3	Bobby	5th
15 Jul	Kedah (A)	1-5	David	5th
02 Aug	PDRM (H)	0-1	-	5th

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