Perak clinched an unprecedented victory over Johor Darul Takzim, with goals from Chad Souza and Nurridzuan Abu Hassan sealing the deal in Ipoh earlier today.
The Southern Tigers came into the match as massive favourites and they certainly got to a positive start as well, with the combination between Alhaji Kamara and Patito Rodriguez proving to be a real menace for the Perak defence.
But as the match progressed, the home side got a hold of the tempo and started oozing with confidence every single time they got the ball. Horace James manufactured a terrific attempt on the 7th minute mark, but it was unfortunately wide off target. Merely three minutes later, the Jamaican forward had another attempt, though the outcome was rather similar to his first clear-cut chance.
Chad Souza found space inside the box on the 15th minute, but Marcos Antonio’s quick reaction prevented the forward from trying his luck and less than 10 minutes later, Johor DT took the lead against the run of play. Junior Eldstal’s powerful shot found its back into the back of the net to hand JDT a 1-0 lead. Their joy though, was masked by the frustration of losing Marcos to injury, moments before the goal, and Fadhli Shas was drafted in to replace him.
But Perak kept pushing on the offensive and continued dominating the tempo of the match, much to the delight of their boisterous home fans. Waves of attacks were launched onto the JDT goal, but no tangible breakthrough was achieved as the match finished 1-0 to the away side at half time.
The half time pep talk from Datuk M. Karathu must have been rather effective, as the young Seladangs came out for the second half firing on all cylinders. Nurridzuan Abu Hassan, who has been absolutely brilliant for Perak this season, continued his excellent form by scoring just three minutes after the restart to make it 1-1.
And just two minutes later, the Seladangs sent their fans into rapture by seizing the lead. For all the criticism Chad Souza has faced throughout his short Perak career, the Brazilian forward did well to slot this into the back of the net and put Perak 2-1 ahead.
Johor DT made several changes after that, bringing on the likes of S. Chanturu and Safee Sali, but despite their best efforts, Perak continued to defend with a high line and actively pressed to not allow Johor DT any time and space on the ball. Hence, they eventually held on to not only claim three points, but also a morale-boosting victory against the reigning champions.
Photo Credit: Johor Southern Tigers
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