PETALING JAYA: Police’s new signing Henri Doumbia made a bittersweet start in the Super League by netting a brace against Terengganu but the Cops had to settle for a 2-2 draw at the Sultan Mizan Stadium in Gong Badak on Wednesday.
The 32-year-old Ivorian striker, who arrived from the United Arab Emirates second division team Emirates Club earlier this month, said his joy of scoring was incomplete as he was left reflecting over the sore point.
“I’m proud to make my debut in a new league with two goals but I’m also
a little sad that the team could not collect full points,’’ said Doumbia.
‘’We may have played well in the first two games, but we wished we had picked up six points instead of only two.
“In football, it doesn’t matter how well you play - people will judge you for the points.”
Doumbia scored in the 12th and 53rd minutes to give Police a 2-0 lead before Terengganu fought back through rightback Azam Azmi Murad in the 63rd, and French striker Yann Mabella who converted a penalty in the last minute.
Police were also held to a 2-2 draw by Brunei in their first match, which Doumbia did not feature in. In that game, the Cops had to do the fighting back as they conceded two goals after just six minutes.
‘’I hope we will learn from these games and ensure that we get a win in our next match,” added Doumbia, whose wide playing experience included stints in Thailand with Saraburi, Angthong, Chainat and Nakhon Ratchasima, and also clubs in Kuwait and Jordan.
Police’s next challenge will be against Negri Sembilan in the FA Cup round-of-16 first leg at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium on Monday.
But while the coaching staff pore over video analyses of the Deer, Doumbia prefers to read the opponents on the field.
“For me, each match has a different reality. Take Terengganu, when they beat Penang 3-0, their pressing, intensity, and passing were different. “Against us, they were different again. We would only know how the team would be on match day.”
