KOTA KINABALU: Sabah FC climbed to the top of Group H after scoring an emphatic 4-1 victory over Vietnam’s Hai Phong FC in their fourth Asian Football Confederation (AFC Cup) match at the Likas Stadium, here last night.
The squad under Datuk Ong Kim Swee were in total command right from the start of the match and striker Daniel Ting confirmed the domination by scoring the opening goal in the 19th minute before Darren Lok added his name to the scoresheet in the 33rd minute to take a comfortable 2-0 lead by half time.
Sabah continued to dominate the proceedings in the second half and went 3-0 up by the 70th minute through a powerful strike by Gabriel Peres before Hai Phong managed to reduce the deficit in the 84th minute when Yuri Souza managed to beat goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat who was a stumbling block throughout the match.
However, four minutes into injury time, Jafri Firdaus Chew restored Sabah’s three-goal advantage to ensure a convincing victory for the home side.
The win gave Sabah nine points from four matches to top Group H, ahead of Hai Phong with six points while Indonesia’s PSM Makassar are in third and Singapore’s Hougang United FC are rooted at the bottom.
Sabah face Hougang United on Nov 30, before meeting PSM Makassar in their final group match next month.
Group H standings after last night’s matches
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Sabah FC (MAS) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 5 | 9 |
| Hai Phong FC (VIE) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| PSM Makassar (INA) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 6 |
| Hougang United (SGP) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
– BERNAMA
