PETALING JAYA: Sabah goalkeeper Damien Lim earned every bit of praise after his heroics propelled the Rhinos into the FA Cup final for the first time in 27 years.
The semi-final had teetered on a knife-edge during the penalty shootout, but Damien stood tall, denying Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar’s crucial kick that would have sent Selangor through.
Riding the wave of that pivotal save, he then stopped Mohammad Abualnadi’s effort, sealing a 5-4 shootout victory after the tie ended 5-5 on aggregate.
"The pressure was immense because if they scored, it would have been over," said Damien.
"I looked at my teammates on the sidelines, saw their trust, and that gave me the confidence to stay composed. Penalties are 50-50, but I focused on my spot and did my job."
For Damien, the triumph carries even deeper meaning: "This will be my first final with Sabah, and the team haven’t reached this stage in 27 years. I hope our performance will ignite the spirit of Sabah fans and fill the stadium for the final."
Sabah coach Daniel de Marigny praised his goalkeeper’s performance, saying: "Damien was exceptional. Everyone looks out for one another in this team, but his saves at the crucial moments made the difference.
"Teamwork brought us here, and Damien was a big part of that."
The victory set up a final showdown for Sabah against Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) on Dec 14 – a rematch of the 1998 final, Sabah’s last FA Cup appearance. That night in Stadium Likas saw Johor, then known as Johor, lift the trophy with a 1-0 win courtesy of Milan Blagojevic.
However, there was a different tone in the Selangor camp as coach Christophe Gamel could not hide his disappointment with the officiating after his side’s exit at the semi-final stage.
The match started on an even footing with both teams level at 2-2 after the first leg on Nov 9 in Kota Kinabalu.
But several contentious calls by referee Mohd Hasrol Mohd Amir, including Mukhairi Ajmal’s late first half strike that was ruled offside, left Selangor fuming.
Their night grew worse when the Red Giants were reduced to 10 men following Mamadou Diarra's red card before Sabah were awarded a controversial penalty in the 87th minute that pushed the tie into a shootout.
