PETALING JAYA: Sabah’s prized striker Darren Lok missed a penalty which would have helped them beat Selangor but coach Martin Stano is not going to play the blame game.
The Rhinos had to settle for a 0-0 draw with the Red Giants in their Super League match at the Petaling Jaya Stadium on Thursday.
Sabah could have sealed the game when they were presented with a golden chance in the 75th minute but Darren saw his spot-kick superbly saved by Selangor goalkeeper Kalamullah Al-Hafiz.
With the draw, Sabah are now eight points behind second-placed Selangor. The Red Giants have bagged 43 points from 20 matches, while third-placed Sabah have 35 points from 20 games.
On paper, it looks tough for Sabah to improve their standing but Stano still has faith in Darren and Co to end the league among the top three teams.
“I’m not going to blame Darren in regards to the penalty. I won’t play that game at all. Missing penalties can happen in football. It can happen to anyone,” said Stano.
“We want to move on. I’ve told the team that we are still on track to achieve our target of finishing in the top three.”
In fact, Stano wants his boys to walk tall as he felt that the game against Selangor was their best this season.
“Before the game, we felt that a point would have been good but during the game, the way we played, we deserved the three points ... but it was not meant to be,” he said.
“We created so many chances in the second half but could not convert them. The football we played against Selangor was the best we have played the whole season.
Sabah will next face fourth-placed Terengganu at the Sultan Mizan Stadium on Monday and if they win, they would be close to finishing third in the league for the third season in a row.
Meanwhile, Selangor coach Katsuhito Kinoshi does not want to take his team’s second position for granted.
“We are not secure yet and I want my boys to play well in the next four games,” said the Japanese coach.
“I’ve been with Selangor for the past three months but this game against Sabah was my most stressful match. We faced a formidable opposition who challenged us a lot.
“I want to thank Kalam (Kalamullah), who played well as the goalkeeper.”
