Imigresen FC and Sabah FC are still without a victory in the Liga Super Malaysia 2025/26 season after sharing the spoils in a dramatic 2-2 draw at the Stadium Negeri Pulau Penang, Batu Kawan.
Both teams came into the clash desperate for their first three points of the campaign — and they delivered an intense, end-to-end battle that kept fans on edge until the final whistle.
Imigresen began aggressively under a 4-4-2 setup, with Brazilian duo Joao Pedro and Wilmar Jordan leading the charge. The early pressure almost paid off in the 8th minute when Eduardo Sosa twisted past two Sabah defenders, only for his shot to be safely collected by goalkeeper Damien Lim.
The home side finally broke through in the 27th minute after a neat exchange between Azfar Fikri and captain Rizal Ghazali, who teed up Wilmar Jordan to slip a precise through-ball into Joao Pedro’s path.
The Brazilian striker made no mistake, blasting a powerful shot past Damien to give Imigresen a 1-0 lead.
Sabah regrouped after the interval and began to dominate possession. Their persistence paid off five minutes into the second half when Miguel Cifuentes whipped in a teasing cross from the left to Fergus Tierney, whose strike rattled the crossbar.
Stuart Wilkin reacted quickest to the rebound, firing home to level the score at 1-1 in the 50th minute.
Just four minutes later, Sabah completed their turnaround. Wilkin, now the creator, delivered a pinpoint pass from the left that found Cifuentes unmarked in the box. The Spanish winger calmly slotted the ball past Mohd Faridzueen Kamaruddin, putting The Rhinos ahead 2-1 in the 54th minute.
The momentum appeared to favor Sabah, but Imigresen refused to back down. In the 78th minute, chaos in the Sabah penalty area saw Sosa pounce on a loose ball after defenders Danes James and Dominic Tan failed to clear their lines. The Venezuelan midfielder smashed the ball into the net to restore parity at 2-2.
Imigresen nearly snatched all three points in stoppage time through a low-driven free-kick by Ajdin Mujagic, but his effort rolled narrowly wide of the post.
Tensions flared late on when substitute Nik Akif Syahiran Nik Mat was shown a red card in the 97th minute for a reckless tackle on Farhan Roslan, leaving Imigresen to finish the match with 10 men.
Despite the dramatic contest, both clubs remain without a win this season. The result leaves Sabah FC and Imigresen FC still anchored near the bottom of the Super League standings after seven matches.
While Imigresen can take pride in their attacking improvement, coach K. Devan will be concerned about defensive lapses that cost his side maximum points. Meanwhile, Sabah boss Matheus Costa will look to convert his team’s second-half dominance into wins as pressure mounts in the coming weeks.
Credit Photo : IFC
