Physical contest: Negri Sembilan’s Joseph Esso (right)vying for the ball with Kuching City’s Rodney Akwensivie. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: Satisfaction was written all over Kuching City head coach Aidil Sharin Sahak’s face despite missing out on a win against Negri Sembilan in their Super League clash at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi on Friday.
The home side staged a late fightback with goals from Joseph Esso in the 79th minute and Luis Enrique Nsue in the 94th minute to salvage a 2-2 draw.
For Aidil, his team’s main mission had already been accomplished, which was to secure at least a point away from home, and he was pleased even though they had to settle for just one.
Kuching City can also hold their heads high after dominating for much of the game.
They took the lead as early as the seventh minute through Danial Asri before Cameroon import Ronald Ngah Wanja doubled the advantage three minutes into the second half.
“I think before the game, nobody expected Kuching to beat Negri Sembilan because they were in good momentum. With the fans, you know, in the last game they beat a team like Selangor,” said Aidil after the match.
“But we came here with our objective to steal points, and we got it. And I think we were the better team. If you look overall, in the first half we had a good chance.
“I think the loss is on Negri because they played at home and they were supposed to collect maximum points. But we earned one point away from home, so this is a positive thing for us.”
At the Negri camp, Nidzam Jamil breathed a sigh of relief as his team once again staged a comeback at home, echoing their 2-1 win over Selangor on Aug 24.
However, he stressed that such dramatic turnarounds cannot continue for the rest of the season, as they could be costly.
Nidzam also singled out Kuching City as one of four teams to watch this season, alongside Johor Darul Ta’zim, Selangor, and Sabah, who are considered among the league’s stronger sides.
“We cannot keep relying on comebacks. It is impossible. In modern football, it is very difficult, and magic does not always happen,” said Nidzam.
