RHINOS MOVE ON

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah moved to fourth spot after securing a 3-1 win over hapless Kuala Lumpur in a Premier League challenge at the Likas Stadium last night.

With Johor Pasir Gudang fumbling in Kuantan, the Rhinos climbed a rung up from fifth on 40 points. Johor Pasir Gudang who were edged 3-2 by Shahzan Muda at the Darul Makmur Stadium despite taking a 1-0 first half lead, dropped to fifth on 39 points. The surprise inclusion of Brazilian Andre Scotti Ossemer seemed to bring some magic into the team as it was he that drew first blood for the homesters. The nippy striker, who was reinstated to replace the injured Englishman Jamie Phoenix, repaid the faith of the management by slotting home from close range in the 28th minute.

In the 33rd minute, Sabah were 2-0 up when stand-in captain Bobby Gonzales beat the offside trap to go one-on-one to beat the keeper Mohd Shahfiz Amri. Bobby coolly shot a grounder from an acute angle getting the better of the on-rushing Kuala Lumpur custodian. Sabah did not stop there as Georgian striker Kokhrei Dze Irakli put his name in the score sheet. With five minutes remaining for the first half break, he was presented with a through ball from Chow Chee Wing. And like Bobby, Irakli unleashed a grounder which again defeated the KL shot-stopper Mohd Shahfiz for the third time in the space of 13 minutes.

In the 42nd minute, Azrine Affendy Sa’duddin squandered an opportunity to reduce the deficit for the visitors as his attempt from inside of the box went over the crossbar.

But the fans’ hope of seeing a high scoring night did not materialise in the second half as Sabah failed to produce their first half show. Instead, it was the visiting team that looked much more dangerous. But their consolation came late in the game when Azidan Sarudin unleashed a spectacular shot from just outside the box with eight minutes remaining into regulation time.

The win however was not enough to keep Sabah’s hope of a third-place finish as Kelantan won their battle against Melaka. They picked up maximum points after registering a 3-1 win on the road that eventually helped them keep pace with the top two teams.

KL Plus, despite being held to a two-all draw by Selangor PKNS at the MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya, remained at the top of the standings on better goal average than second-placed Kuala Muda Naza, who edged Felda United 1-0 at the KLFA Stadium in Cheras.

Both are level on 54 points, but Kuala Muda Naza has a game in hand than their rivals. Kelantan are in third on 50 points. Sabah’s next game is at the Likas Stadium on Tuesday when they take on Pahang in the second leg of the FA Cup quarter-finals.

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SABAH WON & up to 4th! 1 point ahead JOHOR

Selected Premier League matches, 18 APR 2008
*(-) position after matches

	Home	Score	Away
	Sabah(4)	3-1	Kuala Lumpur
		Scorer
28'	Andre	1-0
33'	Bobby	2-0
40'	Kokhrei	3-0
85'		3-1	Azidan
	Shahzan Muda	3-2	Johor(5)

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weary Rhinos take on City Boys

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will have to do without four regulars when they take on Kuala Lumpur in a Premier League home tie against Kuala Lumpur tonight.

Midfielder Mohd Nafuzi Zain is the latest player to be in the Rhinos’ casualty list after aggravating an injury in the 2-1 win over Johor Pasir Gudang on Monday.

Englishman Jamie Phoenix and skipper Rosdin Wasli will still be on the sidelines as they are yet to fully recover from their respective injuries. Lanky defender Mohd Munir Amran is not among the options as he is under suspension after collecting a red card in the 1-2 defeat to Kelantan last week.

But despite not having the best squad to face the City Boys, Rhinos chief coach Drago Mamic remains optimistic about their chances. “We got to admit the fact that we will be stronger if all our best players are available for any game. However, things like this do happen, so we have to live with it.

“So my hope is for the players that come in to show that they are as good as those nursing injury or suspension,” Drago said. “On my part, I will try to prepare the best team for the game, and hoping for them to do a good job. It has been a tough season because the fixtures is really hurting us. Compare to our Peninsula counterparts, I think we suffered the most because of the travelling that we have to make.

“Just look at our fixtures the last 14 days. I can understand why they can get injured so easily because there is hardly any time for them to recover.

“The travelling itself is already taking its toll on the players, but I’m glad to have a squad that always tries their level best when ever they are given the opportunity.

And Drago said that as long as the players play to instructions and show their usual gritty spirit, the team’s chances of winning remain high. “I know this team. They have a good fighting spirit and commitment. And I hope they will click as a team because once that happen, our chances (winning) would be higher,” said Drago.

Drago will still have the services of Georgian striker Kokhrei Dze Irakli while Dragic Dalibor will also be around at the Rhinos backlines for tonight’s game.

Sabah currently fifth in the standings is already out of contention for promotion to the Super League, and now they are hoping to end their season in fourth placing, the best they could do.

However, they must win their remaining four matches, including tonight’s date with Kuala Lumpur. At the same time, they must hope for Johor Pasir Gudang to fumble somewhere in their remaining matches.

KL Plus lead the 13-team standings on 53 points followed by Kuala Muda Naza on 51. Kelantan is in third on 47 while Johor Pasir Gudang 39 and Sabah 37.

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BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah chief coach Drago Mamic said failing to make a top-two finish in the Premier League is a bitter pill to swallow! However, it is not the end of the world either as his young side has a bright future.

The Croatian said it was a pity if the team did not make it into the Super League next season, insisting that they do have the quality to play in the nation’s top flight competition.

On Monday, Sabah ended their three-match barren run by notching a comeback victory over Johor Pasir Gudang. But it proved to be a win too late for the Rhinos, as their dream of getting promoted had ended much earlier on. Nevertheless, it could still prove to be a crucial victory as they now seek to end their season with the best possible finish – at the moment fourth. Coincidentally it is Johor Pasir Gudang that sit on the fourth spot – two points ahead of the Rhinos, who are in fifth on 37 points.

With four matches remaining, there is still an open chance for Sabah to pip Johor Pasir Gudang, provided they win their remaining battles and Johor Pasir Gudang fumble at some stage.

And with the rumour that the FA of Malaysia is likely to expand the Super League next season, that means there might be a back-door entry. And if it turns into reality, then third-placed Kelantan, Johor Pasir Gudang and Sabah could benefit from the changes or expansion. So now it is important for teams like Kelantan, Johor Pasir Gudang and Sabah to try to get the best positions in the standings.

Kelantan can safely say that the third place belongs to them requiring to collect only four points from the possible nine in their remaining three matches. But the same cannot be said for Johor Pasir Gudang, as Sabah do stand a chance to pip them. “I really hope the FA of Malaysia would make a decision and expand the Super League. When you look at the top five teams in the Premier League, I think they are of the same standard as most of the Super League teams.

“You don’t see much difference between these teams (Premier League top five) and the bottom half of the Super League. “For instance, in our case, we played several Super League teams last season and this season in the Malaysia Cup and the FA Cup and we managed to win our battles against most of them,” said Drago.

On their victory over Johor Pasir Gudang, Drago said the team played well and were deserving winners despite missing at least two key players in Englishman Jamie Phoenix (injury) and Mohd Munir Amran (suspension).

“We played well. Despite trailing, they showed great fighting spirit. They have been playing with this spirit and commitment all this while. “Actually, I cannot fault them at all. When we look back, there were so many matches where the results did not reflect the way we played. “On most occasions, they are matches that we lose where we played much better than our opponents. But due to some reasons, such as miserable decisions made by the referees, we lost the games.

“Nevertheless it is (now) more important for us to look ahead instead of thinking about the negative side of our challenge. “We should take it as a motivation to try harder and be a better team so that we won’t be victims of the men in black. The match against Johor Pasir Gudang was delayed for about one and a half hours due to the faulty floodlights at the Tan Sri Dato Hj Hassan Yunos Stadium. Instead of the usual 8.45pm kick-off time, it started at 10.30pm and ended at about 12 midnight.

Nevertheless, the delay seemed to be a blessing in disguise as they fought their way back to win the battle with striker Bobby Gonzales netting twice for the Rhinos.

Osvaldo Morino had put Johor Pasir Gudang into the lead with his 20th minute strike, but Bobby cancelled Johor’s lead in the 51st minute before slotting home the winner in the 59th minute. Sabah’s next game is against Kuala Lumpur at the Likas Stadium on Friday.

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Sabah WON! Thanks to Bobby!

*(-) position

	Home	Score	Away
	Johor(4)	1-2	Sabah(5)
		Scorer
25'	Osvaldo	1-0
51'		1-1	Bobby
59'		1-2	Bobby

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TOUGH CALL FOR DRAGO

KOTA KINABALU: Drago Mamic will have to find the much-needed remedy to light up his demoralised squad ahead of the away clash against Johor Pasir Gudang at the Tan Sri Dato Hassan Yunos Stadium in Larkin tonight.

The Rhinos’ chief coach admitted that the team are at their record low of the season after the 2-1 home defeat to Kelantan that eventually ended their chase for the two automatic slots for promotion into the Super League next season. “I’m very disappointed because of what has happened to the team. It is not only me. The players are very disappointed too because they have been trying really hard,” said Drago, when contacted yesterday. “They are down I need to lift the confidence and morale of the players to be ready for the coming games, including tonight’s battle,” the Croatian added.

Drago said that despite the fact that they have missed the chance for promotion, it has not been a bad season for the squad. He said that in some instances where they lost their battles, they were actually the better team, adding that no team in the league can prove that they are better than the Rhinos.

However, he added there are several factors that contributed to Sabah’s defeats in crucial games. One of them, he said was one-sided refereeing.

Drago said that if the attitude of the referees (against Sabah) did not change, it will be difficult for the Rhinos to gain promotion. “I have been around for quite a while now, and from my observation, I think they did not do it accidentally, but I can say that it is been done intentionally because you don’t make the same kind of mistake again and again even if it is a minor one. “One our part, it hurt us because those small decisions influenced the results of the game,” said Drago. At the same time, Drago said losing key players in crucial games did not help the team at all.

This he said was due to the fact that the team are facing tough fixtures, having to play so many matches in a short period. “For instance, our new signing Kokhrei Dze Irakli had to play a total of five matches in 11 days. Plus the traveling that we did, I think it is just too much for the players because they hardly have had any time to recover,” said Drago.

But tonight, Drago could welcome back skipper Rosdin Wasli into his first team after missing the Rhinos’ last 10 matches. Rosdin was an unused substitute in the defeat against Kelantan and will be hoping to get some matches under his belt. Another player expected to return is attacking midfielder Jamie Phoenix, whose combativeness and skills were sorely missed in the last few games.

With five matches to go, Sabah can get a maximum of 49 points provided that they register victories in all the matches including tonight’s game.

That would surely put them among the top four in the league and if the rumour of the FAM’s plan to expand the Super League next season materialises, it could work in their favour to have another shot at promotion. Sabah are fifth in the 13-team table on 34 points, five behind Johor PG.

KL Plus top the league on 50 points, followed by Kuala Muda Naza on 48 points, while Kelantan trail in third place with 44 points.

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AS GOOD AS OVER

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s hopes of claiming one of the two promotion slots into the Super League next season all but vanished after losing narrowly to Kelantan in a Premier League challenge at the Likas Stadium last night.

Ten-man Sabah went down 2-1 with Mouhamadu Moustapha Mane and Mohd Badhri Mohd Radzi netting for the visitors, while second-half substitute Bobby Gonzales scored the consolation goal for the home side. The result has left them with no hope of finishing among the top two teams in the league who will gain automatic promotion to top flight action next season.

Unless the FA of Malaysia changes the format of the M-League, Sabah will remain in the Premier League for a record fourth season. At the moment, to finish their season in third or fourth is already a mammoth task for the Rhinos. With all the top teams winning their respective matches on the night it will be a mountain to climb for them to unseat Kelantan and Johor Pasir Gudang from the third and fourth spots respectively, what more KL Plus and Kuala Muda Naza, who seem to be unshakeable at the top of the standings.

KL Plus, who blanked Melaka 2-0 at the Hang Jebat Stadium, lead the standings on 50 points, while Kuala Muda Naza are closely two points behind, as they too had a victorious night by edging Shahzan Muda 3-2 at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan. The victory allows Kelantan to keep the pace with the top two teams as they sit in third on 44 points, while Johor Pasir Gudang defeated Harimau Muda with an identical scoreline at the Nasional Stadium in Bukit Jalil to stay in fourth on 39 points, followed by Sabah in fifth on 34.

Last night, it was an exciting encounter as both sides went for the offensive right from the start. However, chances of scoring were rare as both sides failed to create anything until the last 15 minutes of the first half with Kelantan looking to have taken the lead in the 32nd minute when Mohd Nizad Ayub was presented with a golden opportunity right in front of the Sabah goalmouth.

But it was fortunate for the homesters as despite having already beaten Sabah’s keeper Irwan Jamil, Mohd Nizad’s close-range header hit the left side of the goalpost and went out of play.

But a minute later in a quick counter attack, Sabah’s Georgian striker Kokhrei Dze Irakli found space inside the Kelantan six-yard box but only to shoot straight at the Kelantan keeper Mohd Shahrizan Ismail.

Then in the 43rd minute, there was no stopping Kelantan from taking the lead when Mouhamadu finished off a Mohd Badhri cross with a grounder from inside the box to eventually end the first half with Kelantan leading 1-0.

After the break, Sabah tried to make a comeback, but just found the Kelantan defence marshaled by Jan Necas a hard nut to crack. And things were getting tougher for them when they were forced to play the last 36 minutes of the game with a man lesser after defender Mohd Munir Amran was given the marching orders after he was alleged to have elbowed Mouhamadu in the 54th minute. Earlier on, Munir had received a yellow card, but the second offence was surely a straight red card even if he fouled Mouhamadu unintentionally or otherwise. In this case, the referee Lee Chong Shen got it right.

However, the man in black on the night made far too many errors as most of his minor decisions were against the home side. In the 76th minute, Kelantan extended their lead through a lighting counter attack. This time after being the provider of the first goal, Mohd Badhri put his name on the scoresheet by scoring the second from close range.

Trailing by two goals down, Sabah’s coach made two substitutions by brining in Bobby Gonzalez and Azrul Ejati Damsah to replace Chow Chee Wing and Mohd Nafuzi Zain respectively.

And Bobby managed to reduce the deficit for Sabah in the 80th minute by connecting fellow substitute Hisamuddin Othman who came in for Julamri Muhamad at the start of the second half, cross.

After the goal, Sabah had one or two chances at the Kelantan goalmouth, but none found the net as the match ended in favour of the visitors.

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