KUALA LUMPUR – Johor Darul Ta’zim FC maintained their winning momentum as they easily crushed Kuala Lumpur City FC 5-1 in their third Super League fixture at the Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium today.
The home side were dangerous through their new signing Jovan Motika, who had an early chance to open his account for the club in the seventh minute.
However, the Bosnian, who was brought into the City Boys squad in the recent transfer window from NK Bjelovar, failed to put his shot on target, with teammates Paulo Josue and Haqimi Azim Rosli following suit just a couple of minutes later.
KL City’s momentum waned from the 16th minute onwards as they kept losing possession in midfield, allowing the Southern Tigers to take advantage of their opponents’ recklessness.
Fernando Forestieri, who scored 26 goals in all competitions for JDT last season, kept testing KL City goalkeeper Azri Ghani with his deadly shots, forcing the 25-year-old to make a total of five saves in the span of 10 minutes.
Forestieri’s efforts finally paid off in the 42nd minute as he gave his side the lead with a soft header from a Juan Muniz Gallego cross.
The goal, which was initially ruled offside by match referee Nazmi Nasaruddin, was later given upon review by the video assistant referee.
The decision sparked frustration among thousands of KL City fans present at the stadium, who could be seen using slurs towards JDT fans.
JDT then doubled their lead through Gallego, who scored a perfect free-kick in the 45th minute, easily beating Azri in the left corner.
KL City were awarded a penalty in the dying minutes of the first half after Haqimi was brought down by JDT’s Jordi Amat in the penalty area.
Paulo Josue then brought the City Boys back into the game by calmly slotting home his penalty to make the score 2-1 before half-time.
It was a much-deadlier JDT side in the second half as they created more chances while dominating 70% of possession.
Both Forestieri and Gallego doubled their tally with strikes in the 61st and 71st minutes, giving Hector Bidoglio’s side a comfortable 4-1 lead.
Syahmi Safari sealed the victory for JDT with a fierce shot in the 88th minute, making the final score 5-1 to the Southern Tigers.
JDT currently top the Super League table with nine points from three games. – May 25, 2024