Make way!: Police’s Henri Doumbia (left) dribbling past Kelantan M. Rakesh during their Super League match. — MFL
PETALING JAYA: Police finally broke their duck in the Super League, thanks to their new Ivory Coast striker Henri Doumbia.
The forward, who joined only six weeks ago, struck twice to seal a 3-1 win over Kelantan at the Selayang Stadium on Saturday.
It was their first win this season, and the 32-year-old Doumbia was naturally overjoyed.
“We got the three points because we made good plays,” said Doumbia, who now has four goals in four league matches.
“We didn’t press them high but relied on quick counter-attacks.
“Kelantan played a high line, so we realised that if we made one good pass behind them, it would be easy to face the keeper.
“After that, we managed the game well to secure the win.”
Doumbia’s analysis played out exactly on the pitch.
His first strike in the 27th minute was a poacher’s finish after a clever assist from strike partner Hadi Fayyadh Abdul Razak.
His second, on 40 minutes, highlighted his intelligence and pace as he timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap, latched onto a long ball from Fakhrul Azim Zulphatah, and rounded goalkeeper Damyan Danyanov and a defender before slotting home coolly.
Kelantan briefly clawed back through a penalty from Nigerian frontman Ifedayo Olusegun just before half-time, but Police sealed the win in the 55th minute when midfielder Imran Samso struck the third.
Doumbia said joining Police under coach Eddy Gapil had been a wonderful experience.
“There are many policemen in the squad. They don’t just think like footballers, they want to represent the badge.
“The game isn’t about money or big names, it’s about momentum and patience.
“Even against the best, we can handle them with the right mentality.”
Police’s first victory lifted them to fifth in the Super League table, level on points with Selangor, and gave them confidence ahead of a daunting run.
Their next three matches are against Johor Darul Ta’zim (home, Oct 5), Negri Sembilan (away, Oct 25) and Kuching City (home, Nov 1).
“We know these are the hardest games, but we have two weeks to prepare.
“We want to keep growing, working, suffering together – because only that brings success.”
