Johor Darul Ta’zim continued their good run in the AFC Cup by beating Bengaluru 1-0 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium
Both sides displayed a rather dull performance, but Mario Gomez’s men narrowly edged over Ashley Westwood’s squad, courtesy of Safiq Rahim’s stunning free-kick. However, Hariss Harun was arguably JDT’s most important performer on the pitch tonight.
The 25-year old midfielder exhibited sheer versatility as he operated brilliantly in both attacking and defending areas. The Singaporean managed to hold possession cleanly, allowing his teammates to make attacking runs. Hariss also played as a “false” centre back, robbing Bengaluru off their possession of the ball.
The versatile midfielder has brilliant tactical awareness on the pitch and his positioning was impressive. That allowed his teammates to depend on him when they needed support. He played an equallty important role in closing down the Bengaluru players at every opportunity.
While Safiq was eventually the star, thanks to his excellent goal, Hariss’ presence eventually allowed the Southern Tigers to hang on and secure valuable three points, which puts them on top of Group H after Matchday 2.
Other posts by Lekshman Subramaniam
