Owona revels in MSL Shield victory

Negeri Sembilan forward Jean Emmanuel Effa Owona was delighted after scoring both goals in their MSL Charity Shield win over Kelantan.

Owona struck in either half to give the underdogs a morale-boosting 2-1 victory against one of Malaysia’s best sides on Saturday.

“Of course I am happy to help my team win the cup. But for me, the two goals did not matter but seeing my team win the cup is a happy moment,” the forward said.

“It is very important to start with a cup and I’m optimistic that our young squad will come good in the Super League this year.”

The former Metz forward showed great attacking competency as he dismantled the Kelantan defence on numerous occasions. The victory over the defending champions silenced plenty of critics and Negeri coach Azraai Khor continued to insist that his young charges will be a force to be reckoned with this year.

“We may have lost our star players but the youngsters certainly proved to be the toast tonight as they fought against all odds to beat Kelantan,” he said.

“We looked nervy in the first 15 minutes but after Owona’s first goal, the team settled down and that’s where things started to change.”

Negeri will kick-start their season against Selangor on Tuesday, while Kelantan will have to pick themselves up as they take on Lions XII at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.