Toothless LionsXII disappoint

Another match, another uninspired performance, another two points dropped.

Not for the first time this year, the LionsXII were made to pay for a lack of sharpness in front of goal in a goalless draw against Sarawak at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

"There goes our season," lamented coach Fandi Ahmad, whose side have now dropped 15 out of a possible 30 points on home soil during this Malaysian Super League (MSL) campaign.

"We created chances and should have won, but in terms of decision-making in the final third, the maturity is still not there."

It resulted in a frustrating evening for the 4,986 fans in attendance - the lowest for the LionsXII in the league this season - who at times got on the backs of their own players.

With his side struggling for goals, Fandi attempted to inject some attacking impetus by deploying winger Gabriel Quak in a free role behind striker Khairul Amri.

The move almost paid instant dividends.

Less than a minute had passed when Quak got on the end of Faris Ramli's cross, only to see his goalbound effort was stopped on the line by Ronny Harun.

But that was about as good as the 23-year-old's evening got, with Shahfiq Ghani coming on in his place just six minutes into the second half.

"He did not disappoint but should have put away at least two chances," Fandi later said of Quak's performance.

 "We gave him 10 minutes in the second half but I could see that he was a bit down, so I decided to give him a rest."

The hosts' woes in front of goal, however, was at least offset slightly by a solid defensive performance.

Former national captain Fandi was effusive in his praise of Raihan Rahman, in particular.

"I'm very pleased in terms of his defensive duties," he said of the 23-year-old, who has put in a string of impressive performances in holding midfield in the absence of injured captain Isa Halim.

Equally happy with the defensive showing put in by his charges was Sarawak coach Robert Alberts.

"This was a very good point for us," said the Dutchman, whose side remain four points clear of the LionsXII with three matches of the season left to play.

"They dominated the second half but we defended well and didn't gave them much space. If we do well in the next matches, we can go even higher in the league."

This article was first published on June 15, 2014.
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