Match Report
51 points separated the sides: Sabah 1st on 78, Qabala 10th on 27. The last five rounds placed Qabala 4th in the league for form — higher than their 10th in the standings. Scoring rates set the scale: Sabah 2.27 scored and 0.76 conceded per game, Qabala 0.97 and 1.48, with the league averaging 1.29.
Sabah had not lost in 15 games. Qabala's winless run stood at 7. Over the last five, Sabah had taken 11 of 15 points to Qabala's 3.
The sides have met 13 times in the GioScore results database: 5 wins for Sabah, 3 draws and 5 for Qabala, at 2.23 goals per meeting.
The venue was Bank Respublika Arena, with room for 13,000 spectators. On the scoreboard, Sabah led 4-0 at the break; 4 second-half goals set the final 7-1.
Goal scorers
Sabah: Aleksey Isayev (24'), Joy-Lance Mickels (10'), Joy-Lance Mickels (32'), Jesse Sekidika (63'), Aaron Malouda (53'), Kaheem Parris (40'), Rahman Dashdamirov (77') · Qabala: Adriel Ba Loua (87')
Key stats
Possession: Sabah 68% · Qabala 32% · Total shots: 16-10 · On target: 11-6 · Corners: 8-1