Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah FC succumbed to a first defeat in the Super League after going down 2-0 against Kedah Darul Aman FC in Alor Setar on Tuesday.
Two goals inside 20 minutes of play from Tchetche Kipre and Kpah Sherman proved enough for Kedah to claim all three points at the Darul Aman Stadium.
Rhinos head coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto was disappointed with how the goals were conceded, knowing well in advance of the strength of their opponents up front.
The first goal came on 15 minutes when Kedah’s Lebanon midfielder Rabin Ataya’s defence-splitting pass found Sherman on the right edge of the box and despite being denied by a last ditch tackle, the ball fell nicely for Kipre to smash it home from close range.
Sherman and Kipre then combined to perfection five minutes later as following an easily dealt Sabah corner kick, the duo ran the length of field and after exhanging passes, Sherman scored from a rebound to finish off the swift counter attack move that he had started.
“Should be…yes,” Kurniawan admitted when asked if the goals could have been prevented.
“In training, we had already set and focused on how to stop Kedah’s attack because we know they are a very good team and have strikers with lightning pace.
“That is why we decided to put five men at the back to try and stop them from making through balls. However, Kedah are an experienced team and they were quick to punish our mistakes.
“We may have played way too safe in the opening 20 minutes and that is why we were not able to produce the desired form,” added Kurniawan after game.
Kurniawan also admitted the Rhinos sorely missed the services of their four new foreign imports, although he refused to turn it into an excuse for the defeat.
It was learnt that Saddil Ramdani was available for the match but did not feature at all having just finished his mandatory quarantine which prevented him from taking part in training.
The other three namely midfielder Levy Clement Madinda, striker Sam Johnson and defender Risto Mitrevski are only expected to feature in the next game earliest.
“We have only Park (Tae Su) as our sole foreign player and we do need all of them.
“I’m not trying to find excuses. I’m satisfied with the current set of players that are available but with the addition of the foreign players, it will certainly add depth and strength to the team.
“In fact, I prefer to look at the positive side. One point from the two games played with mostly local players will certainly give them a huge confident boost in future matches.
“Against Kedah, they showed that they can be counted on. The were able to play with confidence and without pressure despite trailing by two goals.
“We were not able to score but I appreciate their hard work…they were extraordinary. Result wise it was disappointing but there are positives that we can learn from the game.
“Hopefully when we have a complete, the team will be better and stronger, hence able carry out the game plan effectively.
“It is our hope to improve from last year (10th place league finish),” said Kurniawan.
Meanwhile, Kurniawan said after a draw and a defeat in the opening two games, it is important that Sabah FC try to get the win against PJ City FC at the Likas Stadium on Saturday.
“That (victory) is our only choice. I’m optimistic that with the players that we have and likely all the foreign imports available, it will inject confidence into the team.
“I said optimistic because it is not wise to be over-confident and I always remind the players of that.
“We will treat our opponents the same because all the teams in the league are very strong. We certainly do not want to underestimate them,” he concluded.
After completing two matches, Sabah FC are ninth in the 12-team table on one point after the 1-1 outcome against Malacca United FC in the season opener last week.
However, Sabah’s position could be temporary as three more matches were played last night.
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