PETALING JAYA: Despite being on national duty for the AFF Cup, Kuala Lumpur captain Paulo Josue (pic) answered the call for his club as they bid to improve their standings in the Super League.
The playmaker produced a captain’s innings for the City Boys when he helped them to beat Negri Sembilan 2-1 at the Cheras Football Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old naturalised Brazilian scored the first goal in the eighth minute when he capitalised on a superb intercepted pass by midfielder Ryan Lambert by unleashing a curled left-footed shot past Negri Sembilan goalkeeper Aqil Abd Razak in the eighth minute.
Three minutes later, Josue, known for his set-piece prowess, curled in a superb corner from the right, which found midfielder Brendan Gan, who headed the ball past Aqil.
In the 23rd minute, Josue could have had his second of the evening when he attempted an audacious shot from the middle of the pitch but it was just inches wide.
Negri’s goal was scored by Senegalese midfielder Jacques Faye in the 36th minute.
One would think that fatigue would play a factor in his performance, as he played all the games in the AFF Cup, but Josue showed his worth to Kuala Lumpur with a match-winning performance.
“It feels good to be back with the boys and help them get the three points. It was a special day for me because it was also my 200th game with the club,” said Josue, who now has 11 goals in the league, the second-highest scorer behind Johor Darul Ta’zim’s Bergson Da Silva (22 goals).
“We produced a good performance against Negri and slowly moving up the standings, which is what we want to do before the season ends. Every player gave their truest commitment to the team, so it feels good to be in winning ways again.”
Kuala Lumpur are currently eighth in the league with 17 points and could have been as high as fourth if it was not for their six-point deduction due to failure to submit financial documents properly to the Malaysian Football League (MFL).
Josue not only has been scoring the bulk of the goals for Kuala Lumpur as he has 13 in all competitions, but he has also assisted nine times in all competitions.
