Sabah FC’s two-goal hero Josip Ivancic controls the ball in the Super League tie Sri Pahang FC at the Likas Stadium on Wednesday.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah FC head coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto has hailed the fighting spirit of his players but their ‘expensive’ mistakes have not escaped the attention of the Indonesian trainer.
Croatian striker Josip Ivancic came to Sabah FC’s rescue in the Super League tie against Sri Pahang FC on Wednesday, netting in the fourth minute of injury time to force a 2-2 outcome at the Likas Stadium.
It was Ivancic’s second goal of the night having put Sabah in the lead after 58 minutes with a simple tap in after being set up nicely by Levy Madinda and Amri Yahya.
Sri Pahang were unpertubed as they were given a lifeline, thanks to loose defending from the homesters.
Muhamad Baqiuddin Shamsudin was able to sneak into the box unchallenged before firing a cross-cum-shot that goalkeeper Robson Rendy Rining misjudged and turned into his own net in the 67th minute.
Amri, who saw his acrobatic effort hit the goalpost in the first half, could have restored Sabah FC’s lead in the 81st minute but he dragged his shot wide from inside the box.
The missed chances could have been costly for Sabah FC as in the third minute of injury time, Sri Pahang went 2-1 up through Abdul Malik Mat Arif who scooped the ball over Robson after a precise pass from Manuel Federico Hidalgo Gasparini.
However, Ivancic had other ideas as he scored on the rebound from an Alto Linus’ assist in what proved to be the last kick of the match.
“I want to thank the players for their hard work … they fought until the end of the game.
“However, I’m disappointed with the result as we went into the match with only one aim and that was to get all the three points,” said Kurniawan after the match.
Commenting further, the former Indonesia international forward admitted Sabah neither deserve to win nor to lose the game.
He explained Sabah FC did enough to create four to five good scoring chances that would have turned into goals but the squad tended to shoot themselves in the foot by committing unnecessary mistakes.
Kurniawan added the injury that forced defensive midfielder Park Tae Su to leave the field in the 15th minute too affected their game plan.
“Syukri (Baharun) came on for Park and did well. In fact we managed to score but after that, the team seemed to ease off and that gave Sri Pahang the chance to get into the match.
“While we did not get the much needed win, one point was not bad. We had some bad moments but on a postive note, the players showed never-say-die attitude and fought until the last moment.
“Hopefully this will be a turning point for us to be more focused as we moved forward,” he added.
Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto
Meanwhile, Kurniawan is already planning for the next game where he hoped to have Park, Sabah FC’s under-22 captain Hanafie Tokyo who was given his senior team debut against Sri Pahang, and goalkeeper Rozaimie Rohim available.
“I hope the injuries of Park and Hanafie are not serious because we need all the players due to the tight fixtures.
“I hope Rozaimie will return to the team as his father has just passed away.
“One thing is certain though, Rawilson (Batuil) is available again after serving a one-match suspension and he will strengthen the backline,” he said.
Sabah FC who remain eighth on 17 points in the league will next face second placed Terengganu FC at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium on August 1.