KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah delivered another confident performance ahead of next Sunday’s FA Cup final, brushing aside Police 4-1 at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium on Saturday.
The Rhinos, who have been gathering momentum in recent weeks, controlled the match from the outset and were eventually rewarded just before the break when Darren Lok struck in the 44th minute to give his side a deserved lead.
The second half saw Sabah step up another gear. Miguel Cifuentes doubled the advantage in the 54th minute with a neat finish after a flowing move, before Adjin Mujagic made it 3-0 six minutes later, punishing Police’s defensive lapse.
The hosts managed to narrow the deficit in the 74th minute when Noel Agbre converted a penalty, momentarily lifting their hopes.
But Sabah were not done, and deep into stoppage time, Fergus Tierney, determined to make a statement after missing out on Malaysia’s SEA Games squad, calmly slotted home a penalty in the 90+5th minute to seal a commanding victory.
The result comes ahead of Sabah’s FA Cup final against Johor Darul Ta’zim, carrying both confidence and form into the title clash.
Over at the Hang Jebat Stadium, Melaka continued their impressive push up the table with a composed 2-0 win over Negri Sembilan.
Juan Douglas was the star of the night, striking early in the third minute and adding his second in the 26th after persistent pressure from the home side.
Negri struggled to create clear chances and saw their frustrations boil over in stoppage time, with Khuzaimi Piee shown a straight red card in the 90+7th minute, sealing a difficult night for the visitors.
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