KOTA KINABALU (Feb 12): Sabah FC warmed up for the new Malaysian League season in convincing manner by defeating Geylang International FC 6-0 at the Likas Stadium on Saturday.

Mohd Amri Yahyah came off the bench to register two late goals while Saddil Ramdani as well as new recruits Gabriel Peres, Daniel Ting and Darren Lok were also in the scoresheets in the pre-season friendly.

Manager-cum-head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee was pleased with the huge win but he was quick to point out that result was of secondary importance at this moment.

“What I wanted to see was the combination and compatibility among the players based on the game patterns that we wanted to play.

“There are improvements if we compare to (our pre-season) in Thailand recently but there is still a long way to go.

“We will have another two friendly games to play before the Super League commences,” Kim Swee told reporters after the match.

The Rhinos took a two-goal lead in the first half courtesy of a Peres’s headed effort and Daniel’s sharp finish inside the box.

Sabah FC added more goals in the second period with Lok converting a penalty kick before Saddil darted into the box and slotted home.

Amri then took over the limelight with two brilliantly if not expertly-taken goals late on to cap a productive night for the Rhinos.

Kim Swee said the pre-season matches including in Thailand were important to give the players adequate preparation for the new season.

“It’s not only about finding out the best starting eleven …more importantly all the players fielded gave a balanced performance.

“This is very important because we will have a very long season ahead of us. For me, all the players are very important for Sabah FC,” Kim Swee stressed.

Meanwhile, Kim Swee said they were still trying to arrange teams and play in another two friendly matches before the start of the season.

“Let’s wait and see…we want to be fully ready before the season opener,” he added.

For the record, Sabah FC will kick start the new league campaign against PDRM FC at the Likas Stadium on February 25.

Source:

by Borneo Post Online

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