PETALING JAYA: Sabah were not expected to kick up a storm in the inaugural women’s edition of the AFC Champions League. After all, it was their first foray into the continental stage.
But they pulled off a shocker when the side led by veteran coach Justin Ganai, toppled Uzbekistani giants Nasaf in the Group C preliminary round at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday.
The Borneo club showed resilience and strength to edge Nasaf 2-1 despite the latter dominating with their attacking brand of football.
Sabah’s Myanmar striker Win Theingi Tun (pic) was the star when she scored a double in the 32nd and 44th minutes, while Nasaf’s solitary goal came through Cameroonian striker Alvine Njolle in the 83rd minute.
They were held to a goalless draw against Armed Police Force of Nepal 0-0 in their opening game on Aug 25.
Special credit also goes to goalkeeper Nurul Azurin Mazlan, who pulled off numerous saves to deny Nasaf an equaliser.
“We were the underdogs and we only had a few weeks of preparation but were ready for the group stage,” said the 24-year-old Nurul from Klang.
“We played as a family, which is why we are here now. I felt our performance against Nasaf was crazy.
“I’m glad I played my part. The outfield players kept running for 90 minutes, so the least I could do was to be a secure presence at the back.
“This is good for Malaysian football, and it was beautiful to see the Sabahan crowd backing us,” added Nurul, who has the experience playing overseas for clubs like Misaka (India) and KFF Presingu (Kosovo).
Sabah have now collected four points to make it into the group stages where they will take on the best clubs in Asia from Oct 6-12 in China.
Sabah, who are in Group A, will take on Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC (China), Hyundai Steel Red Angels (South Korea), and Abu Dhabi Country Club (United Arab Emirates).
According to the AFC, the top two finishers of each group and the two best third-placed sides progress to the quarter-finals, to be played from March 22-23 next year.
