KUALA LUMPUR – A brace by striker Darren Lok set the path for Sabah FC to score a convincing 5-0 victory over PSM Makassar from Indonesia in an AFC Cup Group H match at the Captain 1 Wayan Dipta Stadium in Bali yesterday.
The squad under Datuk Ong Kim Swee went on the offensive right from the kickoff and continued to pin PSM Makassar in their own half. From one such attack in the sixth minute Darren rose high to nod home Sabah’s opening goal.
PSM Makassar had a good opportunity to score the equaliser in the 20th minute but the home team’s striker from Portugal, Adilson Silva, shot over the crossbar.
Sabah’s Brazilian import, Gabriel Peres who plays in defence, raced into the opposition half to add the second in the 36th minute to take a comfortable lead into the dressing room at half-time.
However, the start of the second half proved a major setback for the home side when Darren who was a thorn in the Makassar defence, struck just a minute after the second half had started.
To make matters worse, the squad under Bernardo Tavares were dealt a severe blow when goalkeeper Reza Arya Pratama was given the marching orders for a tackle on Saddil who was racing towards goal in a one-on-one situation in the 57th minute.
Sabah, taking full advantage of the situation, added to the misery of the side that had won the Indonesian Liga 1 title, when Stuart Wilkin finished off a freekick in the 73rd minute while substitute Muhammad Farhan Roslan completed the rout in the final minute after a fine pass from Spanish import Miguel Cifuentes.
Meanwhile, in another Group H match, Hougang United from Singapore, bounced back from a goal down to edge Vietnam’s Hai Phong FC 2-1 at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
Serbian Dorde Maksimovic was the hero of Hougang United’s victory after scoring both the goals in the 82nd and 90th minute to cancel out Yuri Mamute’s 56th minute goal for Hai Phong.
Yesterday’s win saw Sabah top Group H with six points while Hougang United are second with three points, followed by Hai Phong (also three points) and PSM Makassar without any points. – Bernama, October 6, 2023
