Saddil Ramdani scored twice while Park Tae-soo and Stuart Wark score one-a-piece as Sabah FC kicked-off their 2023 Liga Super Malaysia campaign in emphatic fashion on Saturday, thrashing PDRM FC 4-0 at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu.
Having mounted a strong 2022 campaign that saw them finish third in the league, Sabah picked off from where they had left off and displayed a dominant performance against a PDRM side who were promoted into the Liga Super following the abolishment of the second-tier Liga Premier Malaysia at the end of the 2022 season.
Indonesia international winger Saddil showcased his brilliance in the 13th minute to open the scoring, effortlessly beating the PDRM defense by himself before blasting home a well-taken shot that went beyond the reaches of the Cops’ goalkeeper Ramadhan Hamid.
Sabah captain Tae-soo then doubled the Rhinos’ lead in the 38th minute, the South Korean having latched onto an excellent Saddil ball before firing home past Ramadhan.
Former Persela Lamongan man Saddil then cemented himself as the biggest thorn in PDRM’s side throughout the match in the 71st minute. Receiving the ball from S. Kumaahran, Saddil danced his way into the PDRM defense before slotting home Sabah’s third of the game, effectively sealing all three points for the Rhinos.
Former Johor Darul Ta’zim man Stuart then added the icing on the cake for Sabah in the second minute of injury time, expertly beating Ramadhan with a breathtaking shot that left the goalie utterly helpless.
Saturday’s other Liga Super games saw Kedah Darul Aman thrashing hosts Perak FC 4-1, Kuching City FC nicking a 2-1 win away at Kelantan FC, and Kuala Lumpur City FC playing out an exciting 2-2 draw with Penang FC, a match that saw newly-naturalized Paulo Josue scoring a brace – his first goals as a Malaysian citizen.
The opening matchweek of this year’s Liga Super concludes this Sunday, with Selangor FC hosting Kelantan United and Negeri Sembilan FC welcoming Sri Pahang FC to Seremban.