KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah are well on their way to advancing to the next stage of the AFC Cup after securing a convincing 4-1 victory over Vietnam's Hai Phong in Kota Kinabalu today.
Following this impressive win, the Rhinos lead Group H with nine points, three more than second-placed Hai Phong.
Playing on a rain-soaked pitch at Likas Stadium, Sabah, who had suffered a 3-2 defeat against the Vietnamese side on Oct 25, took the lead in the 20th minute thanks to Daniel Ting.
Darren Lok extended their lead in the 34th minute, marking his fifth goal in the competition.
Sabah continued their dominance in the second half and deservingly extended their lead through Gabriel Peres in the 70th minute.
Hai Phong, however, managed to reduce the deficit with a goal by Yuri Almeida in the 85th minute.
Super-sub Jafri Chew Firdaus, who came on for Saddil Ramdani in the 88th minute, restored Sabah's three-goal advantage in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
In another group match, Indonesia's PSM Makassar defeated Singapore's Hougang United 3-1.
Sabah will take on Hougang in their next match at Jalan Besar Stadium on Nov 30.
