KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah's hopes of climbing the Super League table took a major blow as they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Police at the Selayang Municipal Council Stadium yesterday (Sept 21).
Sabah head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee blamed his charges inability to convert their chances for the defeat.
Despite controlling much of the second half, Sabah's inability to find the back of the net ultimately allowed The Cops to take maximum points.
Their Nigerian striker Ifedayo Olusegun scored the game's only goal in the 80th minute.
The defeat leaves Sabah stuck in fifth place on 14 points. Police, who are equal on points, are sixth due to goal difference.
Kim Swee, who is a former national coach, did not mince his words.
"We have no one to blame but ourselves. We created numerous chances but failed to finish," said Kim Swee.
"In the second half, we controlled the game but we couldn't capitalise and that is why we are leaving empty-handed."
"Scoring is the essence of football. If we don't convert our chances, we won't collect points. We need to correct this or we'll be in for a difficult season."
With only 14 points in the bag after 10 games, Sabah are now in a precarious position in the race for a top-three finish in what is a fiercely competitive league.
Meanwhile, Police's assistant coach Eddy Gapil said their disciplined approach and hard work in preparing for the match paid off.
"We did our homework and focused on playing more aggressively. The players executed the plan perfectly," said Eddy.