A Mountain to climb for Rhinos in Kangar

KUALA LUMPUR: Last season’s runners-up Perlis only managed a draw with Sabah in their first quarter-final match of the FA Cup competition while Johor Pasir Gudang marched closer to the semi-final after beating Kuala Muda NAZA on Tuesday night.

Sabah will have a tough time in the second leg when they meet last year’s runners-up Perlis at the Kangar stadium on May 29.

Sabah drew 2-2 and scored first in the 20th minute through Prince Guy Ative’s powerful shot after receiving a cross from Charles Obi. They got the second in the 43rd minute through Azrul Ejati Damsah 20 metres from the goal.

Two goals by Mohd Nazaruddin Mohd Zain and Phillimon Chipeta within five minutes before the final whistle saved Perlis from returning home empty-handed.

The Rhinos’ manager Rahman Zakaria vows that his team will go flat out in Kangar to secure a semi-final berth.

“Though Perlis has home advantage we will be ready for them, we will not be shaken, we will be going all out in this coming match.”

The Rhinos will be fielding a full strength squad for this vital away match.

“We need to win. It doesn’t matter by how many goals. With steely commitment and with tremendous spirit the Rhinos can come out as victors.”

The Rhinos will train as usual and will be focusing on sharpening up the forward line in search of the vital goals needed.

Striker Obi, the influential Prince Ativie Guy and Hardy Charles Parsi are among the main players to shoulder the responsibility to break down their rivals in Kangar.

Meanwhile, at the Johor Stadium, Johor Pasir Gudang beat Kuala Muda NAZA 2-0 through Hairy Azly Mahamad in the 4th minute and Mohamad Khairul Ismail in the final minute.

The second leg quarter-final matches involving the four teams are on May 29.

Meanwhile, UPB-MyTEAM beat Malaysian Defence Forces (ATM) 3-1 in a Premier League match at the Kuala Lumpur Stadium in Cheras.

Harris Safwan scored twice in the 33rd and 73rd minutes and Marin Mikac added another in the 75th minute for UPB-MyTEAM.

With the win, UPB-MyTeam share 31 points with Police at the top of the table standing and they are separated by goal difference.

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Rhinos squander 2-goal lead

Kuala Lumpur: Last season's FA Cup runners-up Perlis managed a 2-2 draw with Sabah in their 1st leg FA Cup quarter-final encounter while Johor Pasir Gudang managed a 2-0 win against Kuala Muda Naza Tuesday night.

At Likas Stadium, Sabah opened accounts in the 20th minute when their import Prince Guy Ative scored with a fierce drive following a Charles Obi cross. Sabah doubled their lead in the 43rd minute when Azrul Ejati Damsah scored from 20 metres out which gave the hosts a 2-0 lead going into the halftime interval.

Two Perlis goals in the final 5 minutes of play ensured the visitors did not go home empty-handed with Mohd Nazaruddin scoring in the 87th minute and then Phillemon Chepita in injury time much to the disappointment of the hosts.

Meanwhile, at Johor Stadium the encounter between the two Super League sides saw the hosts defeating Kuala Muda Naza 2-0.

Hairy Azly Mahamad opened the scoring in the 4th minute from a free kick before Mohamad Khairul Ismail added to the visitor's woes with 90th minute goal.

The return legs will be played on May 29. - Bernama

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FOUR MINUTES OF DISASTER

KOTA KINABALU: It was four minutes of disaster for Sabah in the first leg of the FA Cup quarterfinals at the Likas Stadium last night.

They took a two-goal first half lead, but allowed Perlis to score twice late in the game to earn a well-deserved draw.

In fact the Rhinos have themselves to blame for failing to gain at least a slender lead for the return leg as they found out that their second-half approach of trying to defend their lead backfired.

The result gives Perlis the upper hand to proceed through into the semi-finals with Sabah left with a mammoth task in Kangar on May 29.

Prince Ativie Guy scored the opener for the homesters, before Azrul Ejati Damsah struck the second for the Rhinos to take a healthy 2-0 lead at half time.

But as the match headed for a Sabah victory, Mohd Nazaruddin Mohd Zain reduced the deficit for the visitors in the 87th minute, before Phillimon Chipeta spoiled the Rhinos’ night with an injury-time equaliser.

It was an explosive first half as both sides played a fast paced game with the home side proving to be more deadly by scoring twice.

However, it was the visitors who had the first attempt in the game when Zacharia Simukonda found space inside the Sabah penalty box after being fed by ex-Rhino Joey Ryan Gundok in the 8th minute.

The striker unleashed a close range shot but Sabah’s young custodian Irwan Jamil was in his element to palm the ball away for a corner.

Sabah’s first attempt only came in the 20th minute. It started from a long clearance from the Sabah backline where the ball found Charles Obi, who then back-heeled the ball to Prince Ativie.

The unmarked Prince Ativie unleashed a powerful knee-high shot from about 25 metres that defeated Perlis custodian Tay Sin Kiat for Sabah’s opener.

And in a quick counter attack, Sabah extended the lead through Azrul, who struck the second three minutes before the break.

The move started from Chow Chee Wing, who crossed the ball for Charles Obi, but the ball found Perlis’ Md Reithuddin Awang Embran. However, Reithuddin’s weak header saw the ball hit Azrul’s chest, who eventually slammed a low drive from inside the box that defeated Sin Kiat for the second time on the night.

After the break, the Rhinos seemed to be satisfied with the lead and the experienced Perlis side took full advantage of that by launching attack after attack at Sabah’s goalmouth.

Unlike the first half where the match was equally contested, the second half was an-all Perlis affair with most of the game played in Sabah’s half.

But despite dominating the last 45 minutes, Perlis found the solid Sabah defence marshaled by stand-in skipper Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Prince Eboagwu Etuwe and Henry Parsi a hard nut to crack until Mohd Nazaruddin Mohd Zain reduced the deficit in the 87th minute.

It started from the left where Mohd Hardi Ahmad sent a tricky cross. Irwan managed to punch the ball, but unfortunately it found Mohd Nazaruddin, who easily lobbed the ball into the back of the Sabah net with Irwan unable to do much about it as he was off position.

And in injury time, Chipeta did the damage on the Rhinos when he pounced home the equaliser during a goalmouth melee following a corner.

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UNDERDOGS TAG SUITS RHINOS

KOTA KINABALU: The underdogs tag suits Sabah when they take on last year’s losing finalists Perlis in the first leg of the FA Cup quarter-finals at the Likas Stadium tonight.

This is due to the fact that Perlis are a Super League outfit and are also the reigning Malaysia Cup champions.

Perlis are currently fifth placed in the 13-team Super League.

But despite Perlis’ elite status, Rahman Zakaria still believes that eyeing a comfortable cushion for the return leg on May 29 is still pretty much a realistic target.

The Rhinos’ team manager said that as long as they play to their true strength, capability and wholeheartedly, winning by a comfortable margin is within reach.

“We respect them for who they are, but on the other hand, a Cup game is always different than the league and anything can happen.

“They may be from the Super League, but we are not afraid to face them. Furthermore, they are not the first Super League side that we are facing, because prior to this, we have also played against Super League outfits such as Pahang, Perak, Kedah, as well as Sarawak, and we have been getting the results,” Rahman said.

“I’m quite convinced of our chances. The players are in high spirit, and are determined to do the damage on the opponents.

“I think our head coach Drago Mamic has his own way on how to tackle Perlis, and so far we have been doing brilliantly. His tactical approach has been working out well, and I hope it will be the same tomorrow.

“A comfortable victory is all what we will be looking for in this game,” Rahman said.

Sabah will be at full strength for the clash with the return of midfielder Rosdin Wasli, while Ronny Harun, who is with the national team is the only player missing.

Perlis will also be without two of their regulars in Azlan Ismail and Fauzi Nan.

Fauzi is also with the national team, but Azlan, who was supposed to be with the national squad but declined the call-up, is believed to have been barred from playing for Perlis tonight.

It will be a homecoming game for three ex-Rhinos, namely Md Reithuddin Awang Emran, Joey Ryan Gundok and Madzalan Emoi.

And it is interesting to see whether any one of the trio will feature in the coach Hj Abdul Rahman Ibrahim’s game plan.

But as far as Drago is concerned, he is certain to field his best attacking pair of striker-in-chief Charles Obi and Prince Ativie Guy to spearhead the Rhinos’ attack, with Rosdin and Zulamri Muhammad likely to be the men at the middle of the park with Chow Chee Wing on the right and P. Rajes on the left.

Ahmad Tharmini Saiban and Prince Eboagwu Etuwe will be shouldering the responsibilities together with S. Suresh and either Burhan Ajui or Hardy Charles Parsi at the back.

Irwan Jamil will be retained as the Rhinos No 1 custodian.

But if the Rhinos are to keep a clean sheet, then they must watch out for Perlis hitman Phillemon Chepita, who has nine goals to his credit in the Super League.

The game is likely to go the Rhinos way provided that they play a fast flowing game like they did against the top sides such as Pahang and Perak.

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RHINOS STILL IN THE RACE

KOTA KINABALU: The Rhinos’ promotion hopes took a nose dive on Friday after slipping two valuable points away, following the scoreless draw against Kuala Muda Naza.

However, the Rhinos refuse to throw in the towel just yet, with Rahman Zakaria insisting that they are still pretty much in the race (for promotion).

“No, it is not over for us … no question about that. I think we are still pretty much in the race. We have six games left to play and that will be good for us,” the Rhinos team manager insisted.

“We are disappointed (the draw), but there is no point in crying over spilt milk. We should instead take the result positively and use it to bolster our determination in the remaining matches.

“It was a match that we could have won, but we paid the price for lacking the cutting edge upfront.

“I’m sad that we just could not put even one goal behind the net, knowing that this is one of those games that we could have won with ease.

“I must admit that it was not our best performance, especially in the first half where the team played below par, but still … when you look at it again (game) I think we had enough chances to win it if we were more clinical in our finishing,” Rahman added.

“If we managed to put one of those chances behind the net, it could have been a different story.

“We have to learn from this because we just cannot rest on our laurels no matter who our opponents are.

It was no surprise to many (fans especially) to see the Rhinos put up a lacklustre performance as they are well known for it … playing a superb game against a better team, and putting up an unconvincing show against a weaker team.

The Rhinos must realise that they must put up a consistent show and give their 100 per cent in any game if they harbour winning something at the end of the season.

To become champions or to gain promotion is not about one game or choosing games when to play their hearts out, but what matters most is consistency and winning as many matches as possible.

Now all that is left for the Rhinos after squandering what could have been an easy victory is to win the remaining six matches at all costs, while hoping that the top two teams fumble somewhere along the way until the season ends.

League leaders Police, who edged Kuala Lumpur 2-1, are now leading the pack on 31 points, seven points ahead of third-placed Sabah (24 points). And you must be aware that Police have played one match lesser than Sabah, while UPB-MyTEAM are second on 28 points after scoring a late winner against PKNS (2-1).

In the match against Kuala Muda NAZA, Charles Obi, Prince Ativie Guy as well as substitute Salvester Sindeh all had their share at the Kuala Muda Naza goalmouth with Prince Ativie having the best opportunity when he missed from inside the six-yard box in injury time of the game.

As for the visitors, its striker Azmin Sarmin, whose unfair challenge earlier on Irwan Jamil that triggered the 20-minute halt to the game due to safety reasons, missed a sitter when he beat the off-side trap to go one on one with Irwan, but it was fortunate for Sabah as his shot only hit the side netting.

The Rhinos’ remaining league matches will be against KL Plus FC (May 22) and Shahzan Muda (June 12) at home, and four away matches starting with Kelantan (May 18), Johor Pasir Gudang (June 5), PDRM (July 3) and Selangor PKNS (July 31).

Meanwhile, Rahman is confident that Sabah will be able to return to their usual form when they take on Perlis in the first leg of the FA Cup quarter-final here on May 15.

“The coach (Drago Mamic) has the qualities to lift the players and I’m sure he will plot his best strategy against Perlis.

“But then again, the players must carry out their responsibility on the pitch to claim a first leg advantage,” he said.

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MINNOWS HALT SABAH’S WINNING RUN

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s winning momentum was put to a halt by lowly Kuala Muda Naza after both sides ended their Premier League tie in a stalemate at the Likas Stadium last night.

The result certainly put a dent to Sabah’s promotion hopes especially after the two top teams – league leaders Police and second-placed UPB-MyTEAM – both won their respective battles last night. Police edged Kuala Lumpur 2-1 at the MPS Stadium in Selayang, while UPB-MyTEAM defeated Selangor PKNS by the same scoreline in Shah Alam. The other action of the night saw Johor Pasir Gudang blank Armed Forces 2-0 in Larkin, while KL PLUS FC defeated Kelantan 2-1 in Cheras. Despite the disappointing draw, Sabah remain third in the standings and also managed to extend their unbeaten run to 11 matches. However, this was not the result that they wanted as this was a game that they could have won with ease. Instead, they were punished for their pathetic performance, especially in the first half.

And it was just fortunate for the home side as their opponents – without disrespect to Kuala Muda Naza – did not have the quality to finish them off. The scrappy first half saw the visitors first test Sabah’s goalkeeper Irwan Jamil as its lanky foreign striker Boromo Itiegie Richard headed a Kamarulzaman free-kick straight into Irwan’s arms.

Sabah’s first attempt only came in the 28th minute through Charles Obi, who unleashed a shot from the D-box that sailed above the crossbar. Muhamad Zamri Chi twice saw his close-range attempt hit the Sabah side netting before Obi once again found space inside the Kuala Muda Naza goalmouth and curled a weak shot that was palmed away by Mohd Al-Husairi Ibrahim for a fruitless corner. After the break, Sabah introduced Salvester Sindeh for the injured Mohd Munir Amran, but even with Salvester’s presence, the rhythm of the game was still at a slow pace.

The first genuine chance only came in the 78th minute when Prince Ativie Guy headed a P. Rajesh cross, but unfortunately for Sabah it went above the crossbar.

And in the 83rd minute, things could have turned ugly when both sides from the bench were seen exchanging words with the fans, who also showed their anger by throwing bottles. It all started when a Kuala Muda Naza player Azmi Sarmin made a late attempt and his boots either accidentally or purposely hit Irwan’s body, who had already made a clean save from an attempt by a Kuala Muda player.

Irwan got up on his feet and tried to retaliate and it was at this juncture that the Sabah coach Drago Mamic was seen trying to rush to the scene before he was stopped by the fourth match official.

But Drago’s action seemed to anger the Kuala Muda bench where two or three of their officials were seen trying to challenge the officials at the Sabah bench. But before things got worse, with the fans already seen throwing bottles onto the stadium, match commissioner – Mohamad Rodzali – was quick enough to consult the referee – Alagurajan Muniyaiyah – and seconds later the match was stopped (for about 20 minutes) until the arrival of more security. And it was surely the poor handling of the game by the match official that caused this thing to happen.

Azmi Sarmin should have been punished with a yellow card for the offence, which he escaped not even with a warning. And when the match resumed, Sabah created two scoring opportunities with Salvester shooting wide, while Prince Ativie also saw his injury time attempt go off target.

Earlier on, it was Azmi Sarmin who could have turned hero for his side when he managed to beat the off-side trip and only had Irwan to beat, and it was fortunate for Sabah as he shot wide.

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Rhinos held to a scoreless draw by Kuala Muda Naza

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah and Kuala Muda Naza played to a scoreless draw in a Premier League match that was disrupted for 20 minutes following security concerns from match officials at the Likas Stadium on Friday night.

Referee Alagurajan Muniyaiyah halted the match with just eight more minutes left on the clock following advice from the other officials after a heated moment on the pitch that led to a tense situation between the two teams' officials.

It began when a Kuala Muda Naza player got late a boot in after Sabah goalkeeper Irwan Jamil had gathered a low ball cleanly that irked the Sabah's officials on the sideline.

Officials in the Kuala Muda Naza's bench including its chief coach, Abdul Ghani Long also stood up and proceeded to the sideline in reaction to the incident. One of their trainers was also seen heading towards the Sabah bench but was stopped by his colleague. This jolted the home fans who started lobbing water bottles onto the pitch aimed at the visiting team's bench.

With just six security marshals visible on the sidelines, worried match officials called up Alagurajan to halt the game as they spoke to a senior police officer requesting for more security presence in the stadium.

Sabah team manager, Rahman Zakaria and head coach, Drago Mamic as well as Rhinos stand-in captain, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban then tried to calm the fans.

However, the fans opposite the grand stand were already seen trying to force down the gate but stopped upon seeing a policeman from the canine unit entering.

Minutes later, the sound of sirens accompanied the arrival of two truck loads of riot police in an effort to maintain order and this finally allowed the referee to proceed with the remaining minutes of the match.

In the first 45 minutes, it was Kuala Muda Naza who had a good spell creating chances through their attacking midfielder, Kamarulzaman Mahmud and import Boromo Itiegie Richard.

Boromo had a golden opportunity in the 24th minute through a header headed off Kamarulzaman's free kick but Irwan was quick to parry the ball and the resulting rebound was cleared away by his defender.

Sabah's dangerman, Charles Obi donning a new hair do, bald shaven, had a chance to draw first blood for the Rhinos shortly before the breather but his shot from inside the box was tipped over the bar by Kuala Muda Naza custodian Mohd Al-Husairi Ibrahim for a corner. In the second half, Coach Mamic tried to change the Rhinos rhythm by substituting Mohd Munir Amran with lanky striker Salvester Sindih.

However, it was young midfielder, Radzi Mohd Hussin who had the golden chance in the 47th minute when he received a headed down ball by Prince Guy Ative in the penalty box.

But his stinging shot was parried by Mohd Al-Husairi who quickly recovered in the nick of time to snatch the ball away from the lurking Obi.

The absence of captain Rosdin Wasli in midfield who was serving a suspension due to three yellow cards in the Premier League in a way affected the Rhinos gameplan, although his replacement, Radzi performed well with his pin-point passing.

The Rhinos already playing without key defender, Ronny Harun who is away on national duty also lost another defender, S. Sunder who was injured in the first half and replaced by Julamri Muhammad.

Veteran defender, Burhan Ajui who was given the captain's role was substituted by Coach Mamic late in the second half replaced by Rajesh Perumal.

The overlapping fullback, Rajesh immediately contributed to the game when he floated the ball in for Prince Guy Ativie but his header was just over the bar in the 77th minute.

The fans were also frustrated with the time wasting tactic of the Kuala Muda Naza as their players were seen falling to the ground claiming injuries each time there was contact even though it was minimal.

Minutes later, Kuala Muda Naza launched a counter attack that sparked the aforementioned security concern resulting in the match having to be delayed by 20 minutes. When play was finally resumed at about 10.25pm, Kuala Muda Naza beat the Rhinos offside trap with substitute striker, Azmi Sarmin running fast from the right flank to the penalty box.

With just the keeper to beat, Azmi's blistering shot hit the side netting instead, much to the relief of the Sabah fans.

In injury time, Ramzi found Chow Chee Wing in top of the box who flicked on the ball to Ativie who could have sealed the game for Sabah but his shot also went into the side netting. The presence of the riot police in the stadium managed to put the situation under control although the jeering continued even after the final whistle.

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