Rising to the occasion: Paulo Josue (left) assisted the first goal and scored the second in Kuala Lumpur’s 2-1 win against Pahang.
PETALING JAYA: Paulo Josue continues to thrive under pressure to prove time and again that he is the man of the match for Kuala Lumpur in the Super League.
The naturalised Brazilian, who has won two caps for Malaysia, produced a match-winning performance when he assisted the first goal and scored the second in the City Boys’ 2-1 win against Pahang at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan on Sunday.
The 34-year-old, who has been with KL since 2017, showcased his vision when he threaded a beautiful through pass for striker Tchetche Kipre, who went on to finish it past Mohd Izham Tarmizi in the fifth minute.
The Elephants got an equaliser in the 58th minute when Argentine midfielder Stefano Brundo scored from the penalty spot.
Josue’s clutch moment came in the 76th minute when the KL captain overcame a tense situation to bury a beautiful left-footed free-kick from 30 metres.
With his winner, KL ended Pahang’s 12-game unbeaten run in the Super League.
Josue praised the team for their collective effort.
“There is a lot of effort from the guys. The two midfielders behind me were unbelievable in supporting attacking players and the backline,” said Josue.
“There is no Paulo, Tchetche and Romel (Morales) without these boys.
“We are showing others that we have a strong team and are ready to face any opponents.”
KL coach Bojan Hodak was delighted with Josue’s performance.
“That is the reason why we keep him. That’s the best part of his game. His corners and free-kicks are his strong attributes,” said the Croatian.
“We played excellent in the first 25 minutes but pressed too much towards the end, and couldn’t control the situation.
“Here in Malaysia, whenever a team get the first goal, they drop back and defend. Maybe it’s a tradition that we need to break,” he said.
KL remained sixth with 22 points but are just three points behind third-placed Pahang.
With Josue in such form, expect the City Boys to further rise up the rankings in the coming weeks.
