KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) achieved a triple treble when they clinched the Malaysia Cup by beating Sri Pahang FC 2-1 at National Stadium, Bukit Jalil here last night.
The local powerhouse has won the country’s three major footballing titles – the Super League, the FA Cup and the Malaysia Cup – in a single season thrice, completing an amazing feat known as the triple treble.
Southern Tigers strikers Bergson Da Silva and Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi rose to the occasion tonight by scoring a goal apiece in the second half to overcome the early goal by Sri Pahang scored by T Saravanan early in the first half.
Defending champions JDT had started out strong, striking through an Oscar Arribas header from a corner kick that was cleared off the line by Sri Pahang defender Muhammad Syazwan Andik Mohd Ishak.
The first half’s sole goal came not from the defending champions but from Sri Pahang, when Saravanan slotted home the loose ball after JDT keeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed failed to catch Aleksandar Cvetkovic ‘s header.
A shocked JDT redoubled their efforts, culminating in a shot by Da Silva in the 26th minute that was cancelled following confirmation by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) that he was offside and later came close to scoring again in the 31st minute, but his effort was just shy of Sri Pahang’s goal.
Sri Pahang’s luck began to wane after their first goal as Sergio Aguero was sent off after receiving his second yellow card in the 35th minute.
JDT came back on the pitch exuding confidence in the second half, and Arif Aiman’s shot from outside the penalty box in the 47th minute that was deflected by goalie Muhammad Zarif Irfan Hashimuddin certainly put Sri Pahang on notice.
Not more than 10 minutes later, an incident inside the penalty area between Sri Pahang’s Mohd Azril Nasrulhaq Badrul Hisham and JDT’s Arribas let to a VAR review and referee Razlan Joffri Ali awarding a penalty to JDT, which Bergson calmly converted in the 54th minute.
The match was more or less evened out three minutes later when JDT went a man down after Park Jun Heong got his marching orders after earning his second yellow card of the match.
But it was not to be Sri Pahang’s night, as JDT seemingly smelt victory in the air, and after a missed shot by Bergson in the 65th minute, Arif Aiman caught a long ball and scored the winning goal in the 73rd minute.
The 2-1 result would stay till the final whistle blew, and JDT were crowned Malaysia Cup champions for 2025.
