PETALING JAYA: Negri Sembilan coach Daniel Gimenez urged his players to take heart from their performance after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sabah despite dominating their Super League clash.
The Spaniard was disappointed that his side could only manage a point despite creating 14 chances, enjoying 60% possession and winning four corners, while Sabah registered just one chance.
“When you see the statistics, your team had 14 chances, 60% possession, and the opponents have had only one chance, and you get only one point, it’s kind of disappointing. But at the same time, one point is better than nothing,” he said.
Heavy rain made conditions difficult, with the damp pitch hampering passing and forcing both sides to resort to long balls.
Sabah broke the deadlock through Argentine striker Gonzalo Di Renzo, who controlled Shahrulnizam Abdullah’s pass with a superb first touch before turning and firing a half-volley past goalkeeper Azri Ghani.
Negri stepped up their search for an equaliser after the break, and substitute Jovan Motika converted a penalty in the 69th minute. The hosts pushed for a winner but could not find one.
Gimenez refused to blame young striker Alif Mutalib for missing a clear chance, backing him to make amends.
“He makes the sprint, he reaches the place where he has to be, and then he missed it. It’s part of the game. I believe Alif next time will score,” he said.
Despite the dropped points, Gimenez was encouraged by his players’ determination.
“Today I believe we saw a team who are ready to compete, ready to fight. They really want to win. Winner mentality for me is the basics, if not we don’t play football,” he said.
He was also pleased with new signing Aboubakar Kamara, who featured for around 10 to 15 minutes, saying the forward’s arrival had given him more options.
Negri will now turn their attention to Brunei, whom Gimenez expects to provide a stern test.
“We know how good they are, so we will try to compete and get the three points,” he said.
Sabah sit fourth with seven points, while Negri are eighth with five.
