Joseph Kalang after scoring Sarawak’s second goal against T-Team at the Stadium Negeri on Tuesday night. — Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING: Coach, players and fans can breathe easier concerning Sarawak’s survival in the Super League.
The Crocs chalked up a 2-0 victory against T-team at the Stadium Negeri on Tuesday night, thanks to goals by Joseph Kalang Tie and Muamer Salibasic.
The win moved Sarawak to sixth spot in the league standings with 28 points. The basement teams ATM and PKNS have 16 and 14 points respectively.
All 12 teams in the Super League have now played 18 matches each, with four more to go before the season ends.
Sarawak’s next four matches are expected to be tough. The team will be facing defending champions Lions XII (currently lying eighth in the table), Pahang (fourth), Selangor (first) and Johor DT (second).
When asked for his comments, head coach Robert Alberts was in no mood to celebrate Tuesday’s victory and would rather look to the challenges ahead.
“Our job is not done yet and the league is not over. Anything can happen and we must do our very best to churn out the best results that we can,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He reckons that Sarawak should at least win one more match to ensure the team stays in the nation’s top flight next season.
“Survival in the Super League has always been our main priority this season. Anything else other than that is a bonus for the team,” he added.
Robert Alberts
The next match will be away against Singapore Lions XVII at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday (June 14).
The Crocs won the last time the two teams met in Stadium Negeri on March 15 this year.
But the Lions had the upperhand when they last played in Singapore in a group match of last season’s Malaysia Cup.
“It’s never easy when we go there to play but we’ll just have to try. Let’s just hope that we can walk away from the match with at least a point,” Alberts said.
Sarawak will travel to Singapore today and hope to get good practice on the artificial pitch of the Jalan Besar Stadium.