PETALING JAYA, June 21 — Farhod Tadjiyev knelt with both hands triumphantly raised to the skies, his eyes fixed firmly into the darkness of space barring a few stars as the clock struck midnight.

The Uzbek had just scored an injury-time winner against Kuala Lumpur, but his celebration was more than that.

It was a tribute to his late captain and teammate David Faramola Oniya, who collapsed and died during T-Team’s friendly against Kelantan last week.

Oniya was a star in Tadjiyev’s country, playing for five seasons with Uzbekistan’s FK Samarqand-Dinamo. The Nigerian was so in love with the country and its people, he eventually met and married his wife, Rogozina Lyubov, while playing there.

Tadjiyev doesn’t speak much English, but nodded emphatically when asked if the gesture was a tribute to late Oniya.

The 29-year-old had a penalty saved five minutes before his priceless winner gifted The Titans a 2-1 victory over the struggling City Boys and increased its lead to four points at the summit of the Premier League.

But the night was all about honouring the man who made such an impact in his six-month tenure with the team.

“I can’t really express my emotions at the moment. He was our captain and a born leader and we all miss him so much. The night he died, the entire team wept. We were all at the hospital that night and together we grieved for the man who always wanted to do more,” reflected T-Team’s assistant coach Ivica Vranjes, choked with emotions.

“He always led by example, be it in training or on the pitch. But we have to accept that these things can happen with modern day footballers, who cover more ground and play dual roles sometimes,” continued the Croation, adding the team are still waiting for the FA of Malaysia to acknowledge a replacement for Oniya, despite a request letter being sent.

The late defender’s absence was also felt by Josip Milardovic, who vowed to win the league for his departed teammate.

“We must win the league for David. He always supported everybody, and this is a way of us saying thank you. We are on a good run of form and hopefully we can maintain this performance and earn a promotion back to the Super League,” said Josip.