KUALA LUMPUR, December 8 – Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) reaffirmed their status as the kings of Malaysian football by defeating Terengganu FC (TFC) 3-1 in the Piala Malaysia final at the National Stadium Bukit Jalil (SNBJ) tonight. The victory over Tomislav Steinbruckner’s side also allowed JDT to retain the trophy, completing a second consecutive quadruple triumph and affirming their absolute dominance this season after winning the Charity Shield, FA Cup, and Super League.
On the other hand, luck wasn’t on TFC’s side as they were left disappointed, having to wait longer to lift the Piala Malaysia trophy, last won 22 years ago in 2001. The Southern Tigers, on a mission to defend their title, wasted no time taking the lead as early as the sixth minute after referee S Logeswaran awarded a penalty following a harsh tackle by Azam Azmi Murad on Fernando Forestieri. JDT’s lethal striker, Bergson da Silva, calmly converted the penalty to beat Suhaimi Husin in TFC’s goal.
However, TFC quickly responded with a penalty of their own after Jordi Amat brought down Ivan Mamut in the box. Mamut confidently dispatched the spot-kick, equalizing the score in the 21st minute. Despite both teams’ relentless efforts, JDT emerged stronger in the second half, with Feroz Baharudin heading in Heberty’s corner kick in the 73rd minute, sealing JDT’s victory in front of 80,550 fans. Arif Aiman Hanapi added to TFC’s woes by scoring the third goal from a penalty kick during injury time.
