KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 – It was a night to forget for Premier League leaders Sarawak United at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka on Friday as they crashed to a shocking 2-0 defeat to strugglers Police – Sarawak United’s first defeat in seven matches.
Already hit by injuries to South Korean midfielder Lee Chang-hoon and Brazilian striker Sandro Mendonca who were forced to sit out the Police match, the Golden Hornbills were further crippled when Australian defender Tayor Regan had to leave the field with a bad ankle injury minutes into the game.
“We fell apart when Regan was forced to leave the field. With that, we lost shape and our normal game disappeared, losing our focus along the way. We struggled and did not play our normal game.
“However, nothing is to be taken away from Police. They played well and took the game to us. Police were more organised and took the opportunities well,” said Elavarasan on his team’s defeat.”In football, we have to be prepared for such situations. Injuries are part and parcel of the game. The defeat hurts but we have to move on and look forward to the next match.”
The tide turned for Police on the hour mark when Lazarus Kaimbi scored from the penalty spot after Tommy Mawat felled Alif Naquiddin Shouffi inside the box. Nabil Ahmad Lapti made it 2-0 after 87 minutes off a counter-attack.
Despite the defeat, Sarawak United remains on the top of the league standings with 16 points from seven matches.
Johor Darul Takzim II and Negeri Sembilan are in second and third place respectively, with 14 points each, separated by goal difference.
For Police, it is only their second win in nine matches and moved up to the eighth position with eight points.
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