PETALING JAYA: FA Cup runners-up Sabah have been booted out of the Malaysia Cup, after losing to Melaka 2-5 on aggregate in the round of 16.
With both sides sharing the spoils 2-2 in the first-leg at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka on Jan 17, the Mousedeer silenced the home crowd by beating them 3-0 in the second leg at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu on Friday (Jan 22).
Melaka’s new Egyptian striker Ahmad Shamsaldin was the hero with a double on his debut.
Sabah were down to 10 men in the 44th minute after midfielder Gary Steven Robbat was sent off by referee Mohd Faizudin Ismail.
That proved to be the turning point as Melaka piled on their attack.
Shamsaldin, who stands 1.96m tall, took advantage of a loose clearance from the Sabah defence by unleashing a left-footed volley inside the box to give his team the lead in the 48th minute.
Che Rashid Che Abdul Halim confirmed Melaka's spot in the quarter-finals when he capitalised on a mistake made by Sabah centreback Dominic Tan and took a shot, which squirmed past goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat in the 82nd minute.
Shamsaldin further piled on Sabah’s misery by scoring his second in the 86th minute, when he finished off a cross from Umar Hakeem Suhar Redzuan to deliver the third goal.
Melaka are set to face Johor Darul Ta'zim as the Southern Tigers hold a 10-1 aggregate lead against Police from the first-leg.
