Johor DT got their Malaysia Cup campaign off to a brilliant start after sealing a routine 2-0 victory a revamped Perak squad earlier today.
The last time both sides faced each other, Datuk M. Karathu was in charge of the Seladangs, though this time around, they were under the tutelage of Vjeran Simunic, who was making his managerial debut with Perak.
But from the get go, it was rather evident that Johor DT were going to dominate the tempo, despite being without Safiq Rahim and Junior Eldstal.
That allowed them to break the deadlock on the 17th minute mark, as a perfectly-timed cross from S. Chanturu allowed Safee Sali to roll back the clock with a trademark header that brought back memories of his good old days, to put JDT ahead.
Merely three minutes later, JDT doubled their lead through another header. Mahali crossed in from the left, and Chanturu headed home to make it 2-0 on the day.
Perak tried forcing a comeback sporadically, though the JDT defence was incredibly organized in nullfying the threat posed by the Bobby Gonzales and co. Nurridzuan, who has largely been Perak’s best player this season, struggled to break through Marcos Antonio in the middle of JDT’s defence.
After the break, JDT introduced Luciano Figueroa in place of Amri Yahya, in a bid to potentially increase their lead. But Perak began to keep in tight at the back and push on the counter – a tactical shift that almost worked for them, though Izham produced a couple of stunning saves to deny them.
Despite the Seladangs’ best effort, they continuously struggled create any tangible chances in the game, which allowed JDT to sit back, defend their lead and eventually clinch valuable three points on the day.
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