PETALING JAYA: Ghanaian-born forward Jordan Mintah’s recent call-up to the national football team has added a spring to his step.
And that can only bode well for Kuching City’s run in the Super League.
The 30-year-old naturalised hitman left the Cats cooing in his first Super League start with them in the match against Sabah at the Likas Stadium on Saturday.
Mintah rose above the home side’s tough defenders Dominic Tan and Rawilson Batuil to send a powerful header past goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat in the 75th minute to earn Kuching a 1-0 win.
He celebrated by pointing to his name on the back of his jersey, a declaration of his worth to Kuching.
Mintah’s winner also lifted the Sarawakian club to fourth in the Super League standings with 13 points from six matches.
“I want to thank God and my teammates for today’s result,” said Mintah, who has been playing in Malaysia since 2020.
“In the past few matches, I’ve been coming off the bench. This was my first start and I got the goal. I’m so happy.
“It’s a huge confidence booster before I fly to Kuala Lumpur for the national camp and then to Vientiane for the game against Laos.
“It’s been a week to cherish, the national call-up and now the winning goal, and in a derby game too.”
The victory was particularly sweet for Kuching, who had lost both league encounters to Sabah last season (both 1–2).
“We knew how tough this match would be, especially after last season’s defeats,” said Mintah.
“Before the game in Kota Kinabalu, we talked about what went wrong last year and how to fix it.
“I’m glad we’ve beaten them this time and shown what we’re capable of when we stay consistent.
“Now we go into the international break with confidence.”
