MUKAH: Sarawak football team head coach Awangku Shahbuddin expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance despite not reaching the quarter-finals.
“The win was a thank-you to the Mukah fans who supported us throughout the tournament.
“The players are young, there’s plenty of time and they have a bright future ahead,” he told reporters after the game here at the Dalat and Mukah Districts Council (MDDM) field on Friday (Aug 16).
Mohammad Faris scored the first goal in the 9th minute with a clinical finish. He then assisted Amierul Safwan for a second goal in the 17th minute.
Cornelius Ornley’s run and cross set up Asyraf Arwan for Sarawak’s third goal in the 32nd minute.
Pahang responded with two goals: one by Che Wan Ahmad Nasarul Nai Che Wan Irwan Shah in the 49th minute and another by Arash Danial Abdul Am in the 82nd minute.
Football proved to be a cruel sport sometimes, despite the win and all their efforts, Sarawak couldn’t advance because Perak and Federal Territory drew 0-0 in their Group D match. Perak and Federal Territory moved on to the quarter-finals with 7 and 5 points, respectively, leaving Sarawak out.
“First half, we were good, we scored 3 goals, second half, it seemed like the players were rushing their game. There were quite a number of injuries, because we played 3 games,” he added.
Awangku acknowledged that, despite most of his players lacking experience in the President Cup like those from other states, his team matched the performance of others in the Malaysia Games (SUKMA).
“My players, even without much President Cup experience, did well. We competed on par with teams like Federal Territory and Pahang, who all play in the President Cup,” he said.
