PETALING JAYA: Sabah coach Juan Torres Garrido’s repeated calls for his men to keep fighting until the final whistle was clearly heard in the Borneo derby against Brunei on Saturday.
The Rhinos secured a dramatic 1-0 victory over Brunei at the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Stadium on Saturday, with Brazilian centreback Gabriel Peres converting a penalty in stoppage-time.
In an evenly contested encounter, Sabah finally found the breakthrough in the 93rd minute when Peres calmly executed his spot-kick.
The win lifted Sabah to eighth in the standings with 23 points from 23 matches, while Brunei slipped to ninth on goal difference despite being level on points.
Brunei’s task became significantly harder in the 16th minute after Indonesian striker Ramadhan Sananta was sent off for a high challenge on Sabah forward Darren Lok.
Garrido praised his side’s mentality and determination after the hard-fought win.
“We always encourage the players to fight until the end. It’s a mindset we want to build in the team, to keep going no matter what the situation is,” said Garrido.
“Sometimes you get rewarded and sometimes you don’t, but today we did and we are happy for that.’’
As for Brunei coach Jamie McAllister, he was left devastated after seeing his side concede a late goal despite an inspired defensive display with 10 men.
“Heartbreaking,” said McAllister.
“I thought we started the game really well and created several good chances in the opening 15 minutes. We could have been one or two goals ahead before the red card.
“After that, it became very difficult, but I thought the players were outstanding defensively. Their shape, discipline, work rate and desire were excellent.
“To concede a penalty in the final moments is devastating because the boys deserved more from the game.”
McAllister also felt the red card against Ramadhan was harsh.
“I need to see it again, but I thought it was probably more of a yellow card than a red,” he added.
