PETALING JAYA: It took Jovan Motika (pic) less than a minute to show why he feels right at home in Negri Sembilan colours.
Standing 25m out, the Bosnian winger unleashed a thunderbolt of a free-kick that ripped into the top corner and left even his own coach Nidzam Jamil in disbelief.
The goal didn’t just open the scoring in Negri’s 5-0 demolition of Police in their FA Cup round-of-16 first leg – it set the tone for a performance that Motika believes reflects a new chapter for the Deer.
“Before the free-kick, I talked to two players and they just said, ‘shoot, you have the power.’ I did that and honestly I couldn’t believe it went in,” the 26-year-old said with a smile.
“That was a nice goal.”
From there, Negri never looked back. With Police reduced to 10 men after just 11 minutes, Motika doubled his tally in the 40th, finishing calmly off Takumi Sasaki’s perfectly weighted pass.
Joseph Esso pounced soon after to make it 3-0 at half-time before Mio Tsuneyasu’s dazzling solo run and Esso’s second capped a commanding win.
While Motika’s brace was the night’s talking point, he deflected the spotlight from himself by crediting coach Nidzam for giving him a big opportunity.
“It was mostly because of him (Nidzam) that I wanted to come to Negri. His style suits me as it allows me to show my full potential and my strength. I’m happy here and a happy player is a good player.”
Motika’s journey has been one of persistence and patience.
Since making his professional debut for Radnik Bijeljina in 2016, he has tested himself in Croatia with Bjelovar and in Malaysia with Kuala Lumpur. But at Negri, he feels a sense of freedom and purpose.
“I adapted very quickly because I like the way we play,” he said.
“The coach and his staff prepare the team tactically at the highest level, so everything feels easier.
“You can already see this is a new Negri this season – a club that can play with everyone in the league and fight for the top.”
However, Motika insists the squad must stay grounded.
“I am proud of the boys but we have to be humble. We showed our potential today but we must keep working hard.”
