Johor DT produced a sensational late comeback to clinch a narrow 2-1 win over title rivals Felda United at the Larkin Stadium earlier today.
Much of the pre-game discussion was dominated by talks of this being the top of the table clash, and what we eventually got was an extremely competitive affair that certainly fit the billing it was attached to.
With Francis Forkey Doe being tasked to lead their line upfront, the Settlers started the game strongly, closing down on JDT players at every opportunity and using the creativity of Uzbekistan midfielder Lutfulla Turaev to launch attacks of their own.
There were no clear cut chances in the first few minutes of the game, with both sides adopting a cautious gameplay. But the away side eventually seized the lead on the 29th minute, with Turaev heading home to make it 1-0.
JDT responded by pushing further upfront and started launching waves after waves of attack. Fans within the stadium were visibly rallying behind their team as well, with Diaz and Lucero both missing key chances in the first half.
But right after the break, Diaz found the back of the net on the 50th minute to restore parity and shift the momentum into their favour. In fact, things got a lot better for them on the 60th minute mark as Adib Aizuddin was sent off for a second bookable offence, leaving Felda one-man short.
Six minutes later though, Felda could have snatched the lead but Hadin Azman’s attempt failed to hit the back of the net, much to relief of the home fans. Mario Gomez’s men responded by pushing on the flanks, particularly through S. Chanturu.
Predictably, the ex-Sarawak man turned out to be their hero on the 87th minute, scoring with a fine finish to make it 2-1 and destroy Felda’s 100% start to the MSL season. The victory means that JDT have jumped over Felda on the league table. However, Selangor’s 4-2 win over Sarawak – despite being level on points with JDT – has propelled them to the top of the table, having scored more goals
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