KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah head coach Martin Stefano could not hide his frustration after his side squandered a two-goal lead and were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Terengganu in their Super League clash at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Gong Badak on Friday.
Sabah looked set for victory after goals from Stuart Wilkin and Saddil Ramdani had put them ahead, with Ismaheel Akinade pulling one back for Terengganu.
However, with just six minutes remaining, Safawi Rasid produced a moment of magic by scoring directly from a corner, a rare sight in Malaysian football since Kelantan legend Badhri Radzi’s iconic strikes.
However, in Stefano’s eyes, it felt like his players had handed Terengganu a gift, dealing a blow to the Rhinos’ bid to finish the season in third place.
Despite Sabah holding third place with 36 points, Terengganu remain hot on their heels, just four points behind.
“It was a crucial match for both teams, as both were fighting to secure third place in the Super League this season.
“Our main objective in coming to Terengganu was to win, collect three points, and ensure we remain in third place for now.
“I commend the players for starting well, dominating possession, and pressing the opposition, which led us to score two important away goals.
“However, despite creating more goal-scoring opportunities than our opponents in the second half, we failed to capitalise on them,” said Stefano in a post match interview.
Meanwhile, Terengganu’s hero of the night, Safawi, dismissed any notion that his 84th-minute equaliser was purely down to luck, insisting it was the result of repeated drills during training.
“In every training session, we practise set-pieces like this in case we need a quick goal or find ourselves in an emergency situation during a match. I am glad it worked out today,” said Safawi.
“We struggled to settle down in the first half but during the break, we regrouped and resolved to fight back, especially since we were playing at home. So I am satisfied that we managed to get a point from this match,” said Safawi.
Terengganu still have a chance to overtake Sabah in the standings, but they must win their remaining two matches against Selangor on April 5 and Police on April 19 while hoping Sabah drop points against Police and Kedah.
