GOMBAK, Aug 14 — Selangor were made to work hard before edging Sabah 2-1 in their second Group A match of the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) women's football competition at Selayang Stadium last night.
Selangor opened the scoring through midfielder Tegen Su-Yin Butler in the 40th minute.
Sabah fought back five minutes later, with Dian Aqilah Mohamed Imran converting a penalty to level the score just before half-time.
Selangor stepped up the pressure after the break and regained the lead in the 52nd minute when national defender Eusvewana Kadius cleverly turned a teammate's pass into the net for what proved to be the winning goal.
However, Selangor midfielder Zafirah Zulaikha Mohamad Zuhri was shown a red card in the 95th minute after picking up her second yellow.
The score remained 2-1, with Selangor confirming their place in the semi-finals as Group A champions.
Selangor coach Osmera Omaro praised his players' spirit after they successfully saw off Sabah's challenge.
"We could actually have played better. Nevertheless, congratulations to the players for the excellent performance they put in.
"They showed courage and rose to the challenge when the situation demanded it," he told Media Selangor.
Commenting on the red card, Osmera said he wanted his players to learn from the incident and make wiser decisions in future.
"In the final minutes of a match, you need to be smarter. But she (Zafirah) is a good player and this situation will help her develop.
"Although it is unfortunate for her and the team, this is part of the learning process," Osmera said.
Meanwhile, Eusvewana was delighted with her performance after scoring the winner that sent Selangor into the semi-finals.
"I'm very happy and proud of myself because yesterday I had a bit of an internal struggle, but today I managed to deliver the best result," she said.
She vowed to remain focused and produce an even better performance in the knockout stage.
Selangor are scheduled to face the Group B runners-up in the semi-finals at Selayang Stadium on August 17.
