Sabah FC, a club from Malaysia, qualified to semi-final ASEAN Zone after beating Hougang United, a club from Singapore scoring 4-1 in the AFC Cup 2023/24 Group Stage, Group H at Jalan Besar Stadium, Kallang.
Sabah FC was in front in the 16th minute following a mistake by Hougang United player Naoki Kuriyama, who was caught by Daniel Ting’s ball into his own goal before the match was stopped for a moment due to rain and lightning.
After the match resumed, Sabah was awarded a penalty kick in the 44th minute when Nazrul Nazari fouled Cifu and the golden opportunity was not missed by the national striker, Darren Lok to close the first half with a 2-0 advantage.
Just five minutes after the start of the second half, the position of Sabah became more comfortable when Ramon Machado’s powerful shot in the penalty box beat Hougang United goalkeeper Zainol Gulam for the third time.
Misfortune continued to befall Hougang United when defender Anders Aplin was caught by Rizal Ghazali’s pass into his own goal in the 77th minute before Gabriel Quak scored his team’s consolation goal in stoppage time.
The victory saw Sabah collect 12 points as a result of four wins and one loss to confirm their slot in the semi-finals of the ASEAN zone as champions of Group H.
Credit Photo : AFC
