Reinvigorated Sabah on Friday night humbled high-riding UPB-MyTEAM 3-1

Reinvigorated Sabah on Friday night humbled high-riding UPB-MyTEAM 3-1 to renew their hopes in the Premier League challenge at the Likas Stadium.

Nigerian import Charles Obi proved his mettle by scoring twice while the other goal was scored by peninsula import Chow Chee Wing.

MyTEAM were given a consolation with an own goal from Nigerian defender Prince Eboagwu Etuew.

Rhinos left winger Chee Wing tested the visitors' goalkeeper three minutes into the game with a low grounder but goalie Faizal Rashid parried it away.

Not to be outdone, Sabah's newly signed foreign import Ijebor Prince Guy Ative unleashed a fierce shot that was successfully palmed away by the in-form Faizal.

Ative made another attempt in the ninth minute but his shot went wide.

The visitors nearly went ahead less than a minute later when Croatian striker Dejan Miljanic rose high to head Mohd Harris Safwan's cross but saw his header go narrowly wide.

Sabah dominated the game in the ensuing minutes but was only able to make a stab at goal with veteran midfielder Henry Saimpon's dipping first timer forcing MyTEAM number one keeper Faizal having to stretch backwards to tip the ball over the bar.

Obi had a chance just inches away from the goalmouth but he skied his shot.

Clubside right winger Shakir Shaari's lame attempt in the 41st minute hardly made an impact.

Sabah finally broke the deadlock with a curling freekick from Chee Wing during first half injury time to the delight of the 1,000 odd die-hard fans.

Five minutes after the breather, Obi coolly slotted the ball past custodian Faizal after receiving a through ball from fellow Nigerian Ative for Sabah's second goal.

With two goals in the bag, Croatian-coached MyTEAM seemed more desperate to close the widening gap. Then an own goal by defender Etuew in the 54th minute gave them a flicker of hope of salvaging something from the match.

Etuew had intended to clear the ball after Sabah custodian Irwan Jamil's fine save off MyTEAM striker Mohd Harris Safwan's low shot slipped.

Looking confused, the Nigerian import kicked the ball into his own net which left the players and fans groaning after enjoying a two-goal margin.

A minute later and apparently still reeling from the blunder, Etuew almost equalised for MyTEAM when he deflected a cross from an opponent but thankfully it hit the upright for a fruitless corner.

Croatian coach Drago Mamic took hardworking midfielder Henry Saimpon out in the 63rd minute for a pair of fresh legs in Hardy Charles Parsi to strengthen the central midfield.

In the 73rd minute, a MyTEAM midfielder attempted a crack at Sabah's goal from long range but keeper Irwan was equal to the task.

Referee Ravichandran Chappanimutu did not hesitate to flash a yellow card to MyTEAM winger Shakir Shaari for a harsh tackle on Rajes Perumal.

With 12 minutes remaining, Mamic decided to replace Chee Wing with Mohd Radzi Hussin while MyTEAM coach Bojan Hodak took out Shakir for Razlan Oto.

With the minutes ticking down the clearly distraught MyTEAM again made a desperate long-range shot from Mohd Harris but the ball was cleared away harmlessly.

Sabah made another substitution in the 85th minute with veteran Burhan Ajui replacing Rajes.

There was hardly any dangerous attacking move from the visitors with the Rhinos defence being well marshalled by national defender Ronny Harun together with S. Sunder Selver Raju, Rosdin Wasli and Obi.

Three minutes before full time, Obi struck the winning goal with a fine header off a cross from teammate Ative.

Although the win did little to dent MyTEAM's campaign in the Premier League, Sabah definitely deserved the long awaited win over them.

Football: MyTeam cruise into q-finals

Double delight: UPB-MyTeam’s Marin Mikac celebrates with his team-mates after scoring his first goal in their 3-1 win over Negri Sembilan in the FA Cup second round match on Tuesday. – GLENN GUAN/The Star.

SHAH ALAM: Debutants UPB-MyTeam FC booked their FA Cup quarter-final ticket in style when they scored an upset 3-1 win over Super League outfits Negri Sembilan Naza in a second round match at the Shah Alam Stadium here last night.

The Premier League’s leading scorer, Marin Mikac, was the toast of the UPB-MyTeam, scoring a brace in the 47th and 79th minutes before Dejan Miljanic added the third two minutes later.

Negri, down to 10 men after Mohd Rahman Zabul was red-carded in the 67th minute, managed to score a consolation goal through substitute Mohd Zaquan Abdul Razak three minutes from time.

The match was evenly contested, with both teams having good goal scoring chances.

Mikac, riding high with seven goals in eight matches in the Premier League, had the first look at goal in the 16th minute.

Negri custodian Mohd Farizal Harun failed to hold on to Mikac’s long-range free kick but none of the other MyTeam players managed to pounce on the loose ball.

Negri had their fair share of chances too, with Liew Kit Kong’s grounder being saved on the line in the 25th minute. Six minutes later Shahrizam Mohd’s shot came off the woodwork.

MyTeam, unbeaten in the Premier League, struck in the 47th minute when Mikac opened accounts with a spectacular bicycle kick.

Then, in the 79th minute, he let fly a long-range effort from 30m out and it sailed into goal. MyTeam 2-0.

Miljanic then killed Negri off two minutes later with a chip over goalkeeper Mohd Farizal.

The defeat was a further blow to the struggling Super League side, who were still reeling from their 1-5 thrashing by Perak at the Perak Stadium in Ipoh on Saturday. Negri were also semi-finalists in the competition last year.

UPBMyTeam stake claim for league title

PETALING JAYA: Debutants UPBMyTeam have emerged as the frontrunners for the Premier League title as the midway mark draws closer. UPBMyTeam, are now the league leaders after chalking up their sixth win from eight matches on Friday. With an under-strength side, a first half goal from Serbia and Montenegro striker Dejan Miljanic in the 28th minute was enough to secure a 1-0 win over bottom placed KL Plus.

They lead the standings with 20 points and are the only unbeaten team in the league. Police are in second place with 16 points from seven matches. Third placed PKNS garnered 12 points after eight matches.

One of the reasons, they have been doing well is that their foreign strikers Miljanic and Croatian Marin Mikac have been very effective.

Mikac is currently leading the top scorers' list with seven goals while Miljanic has scored five thus far.

UPBMyTeam also showed that they have a good set of reserves as the match against KL Plus was played without five key players.

Skipper Kaironissam Sahabuddin and striker Mohd Nizaruddin Yusop are with the national team on a playing tour of Sri Lanka while Shakir Shaari and Azril Abdul Hamid are with the pre-Olympic squad for an away match against Hong Kong on Wednesday. Aslam Najmudeem is recovering from chicken pox.

FOOTBALL FRIENDLY - A source of irritation to MyTeam

THE friendly match between the national pre-Olympic team and their counterparts from Saudi Arabia tomorrow is ill-timed for some teams.

Premier League leaders UPB-MyTeam, for instance, will face KL Plus at the Shah Alam Stadium on Friday bereft of their four key players. National team skipper Kaironnisam Sahabuddin Hussain and attacker Nizaruddin Yusof are bound for Sri Lanka with the national senior team, while midfielder Shakir Shaari and striker Azril Abdul Hamid are expected to feature in the pre-Olympic team tomorrow.

Desperate to retain their place on top of the perch, MyTeam may consider the friendly, a lastminute inclusion in the M-League fixtures, as a source of irritation. In contrast, pre-Olympic coach B. Sathianathan welcomes the idea of taking on one of the best sides in the continent, considering the fact his team lack genuine competitive matches as he prepares for the clash against Hong Kong on March 28.

MyTeam are currently on top of the standings with 17 points from seven matches in the second-tier competition, followed closely by Police at 16 points. Powered by Marin Mikac and Dijan Miljanic and complemented by the leadership qualities of Kaironnisam and Nizaruddin, MyTeam boast an unbeaten run, the only side in M-League with such a distinction so far, which has caught many detractors by surprise.

But if FA of Malaysia (FAM) keep on throwing spanners into their plans by revising the fixtures or denying teams their players because of national commitment at such a crucial stage of the league, it is then understandable if the MyTeam management decide to lodge a protest. Sure, FAM are thinking of the greater interest of the preOlympic team but the domestic game too requires attention and professional treatment.

Saudi Arabia who imposed their control on their qualifying group with a narrow 1-0 win over Iran at the Prince Mohamed Stadium in Dammam in a thrilling encounter last week, are expected to arrive tomorrow. A day later Kaironnisam and Nizaruddin will depart alongside coach Norizan Bakar for the tour of Colombo, while Shakir and Azril are expected to be given a chance to stamp their marks in Sathianathan’s equation against the Saudis. At this point in time, MyTeam may be cursing themselves for giving a job to the four national players.

UPB-MyTeam, Police set the pace in Premier League

PETALING JAYA: UPB-MyTeam FC and Police have set a quick pace in the Premier League and they look set to win promotion to the top flight next season. UPB-MyTeam are the new leaders of the 11-team competition on 17 points from five wins and two draws. They are the only unbeaten side in the league and lead Police by a point. Third-placed Johor PBT Pasir Gudang have 10 points but have played one game more. Team manager Khairy Jamaluddin said that he was pleasantly surprised by his side’s gallant efforts to go on top for the first time and he hoped that his boys would keep it up.

“It appears that UPB-MyTeam and Police are pulling away from the rest of the field. But it is still early in the season to get excited,” said Khairy yesterday.

UPB-MyTeam are evolved from a reality show to unearth football talent nationwide last year.

They teamed up with Perak UPB (formerly Perak Jenderatta) and 15 players selected from the reality show were given the chance to play for the team. Several seasoned players, including national skipper Kaironissam Shahabuddin, Mohd Harris Sawfan Kamal, Mohd Faizal Abdul Rashid and Yosri Dermaraju were roped in.

Khairy hoped that the team would have the sustaining power to finish off strongly.

“It is nice to be there at the top. I hope the boys will keep up the momentum and good work. There are a couple of teams, Sabah and Johor Pasir Gudang, who could still be a threat,” he said.

Meanwhile, Police stalwart B. Rajanikandh felt that the race for the top two slots to win promotion was still wide open.

“It’s all about consistency. We have the material and so do UPB-MyTeam and the other teams. We have to keep our feet firmly on the ground and stay focused until we achieve our goal,” said the former international.

Police have a formidable squad. Among those in the side are former Negri Sembilan skipper Khairul Anuar Baharom, P. Sivananthan and three Africans – Ghanaian David Anas and Kenyans Hillary Ehesa and John Mawalma.

Belasah Kuala Lumpur 4-0

SENTUHAN pemain rantau Balkan menjana kemenangan selesa barisan berehat panjang, UPB MyTeam yang membelasah pasukan kepenatan, Kuala Lumpur 4-0 pada perlawanan bola sepak Liga Perdana di Stadium Shah Alam pada Selasa lalu. Permulaan babak pertama menyaksikan MyTeam, tidak beraksi hampir sebulan, mendahului menerusi Dejan Miljanic seawal minit ketiga apabila menewaskan penjaga gol, Saiful Amar Sudar dalam pertembungan satu lawan satu. Kuala Lumpur, mengikat Perlis 2-2 pada aksi Piala Malaysia sebelumnya, tersentak lagi apabila Miljanic

merembat masuk gol kedua selepas menerima umpanan K Thiruventhiran pada minit ke-25.

Sejurus bermula babak kedua, Marin Mikac merembat tinggi ke bucu kiri gawang untuk menjadikan kedudukan 3-0.

Peluang keemasan Kuala Lumpur terhasil seminit kemudian menerusi anugerah penalti, tetapi Jorge Armando menyaksikan sepakannya ditepis keluar penjaga gol MyTeam, Faizal Rashid.

Mikac, menerima anugerah sama untuk MyTeam pada minit ke-60, bagaimanapun tenang menyempurnakannya untuk gol keempat pasukannya.