Sarawak reclaim Borneo derby football supremacy

0

KUCHING: Sarawak drew 0-0 in a friendly match with Sabah at State Stadium last Thursday night.

This was the second match between the Borneo Derby after last Tuesday’s friendly, with Sarawak winning the 1-0.

The match on Thursday saw Sarawak hold much of the possession but failed to find the net due to some tidy defending by Sabah.

However, as a whole Sarawak played an improved game than in their first encounter and was disappointed that their hard work didn’t translate to any goals.

After the breather, ball possessions for both teams were even in all departments with the game being centered on the midfield for the most of the 45 minutes. In spite of Sarawak’s control of the game, the visiting team was granted a penalty during the injury time of the second half which Sabah’s Micheal Baird failed to convert, when he kicked ball over the bar.

Though the match ended in a draw, Sarawak will be the happier of the two teams as they won in their first encounter.

From the outcome of the friendlies, Sarawak managed to salvage their pride in the Borneo Derby.

Sabah and Sarawak are the two East Malaysian teams playing in the top-flight, Malaysia Super League, next season and have long been fierce rivals.