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PETALING JAYA: Player and referee errors took center stage as defending Super League champion Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) prevailed with a 1-0 win in a clash atop the table with Terengganu.
Winger Safawi Rasid scored the only goal in the fifth minute to continue JDT’s relentless charge for their seventh league title.
Safawi pounced on the bad back pass from Terengganu defender Argzim Redzovic for the winning goal at Sultan Mizan Stadium in Gong Badak on Friday.
However, in the close match, referee Wan Mohd Tarmizi Wan Ibrahim had a terrible start, committing three mistakes, which were evident during the highlights of the match shown on Youtube.
He did not send off Dominique Da Sylva, who kicked JDT’s Natxo Insa in the chest in the 13th minute. In the second half, he rejected both penalties from Terengganu after fouls on Da Sylva in the 50th minute and Rahmat Makasuf in the 53rd minute within the area.
For South Tigers coach Benjamin Mor, a victory is a victory, although he admitted that the turtles forced his men to work hard.
“I’m very happy with the three points and the clean sheet,” said the Mexican coach after the game.
“The game got complicated because Terengganu was aggressive in the game but we kept our form. Although they had more possession, it was not dangerous for us, as they held the ball mainly in their own area.
“The game got complicated when we couldn’t score the second goal. A one goal advantage is not certain, but we managed to hold on to get all the points.
“I don’t care how we score, it’s about taking advantage and creating chances to win,” said Mora, who did not want to delve into the standard of refereeing.
JDT has an eight point lead at the top of the table after accumulating 19 points from seven games, while Terengganu has 10 points from seven games. They have fallen from second to fourth in the 12-team standings.
Terengganu coach Nafuzi Zain refused to blame goalkeeper Sharmiza Yusoff and Redzovic for the mistake that cost them the game.
“I don’t blame anyone for the goal. There was a lack of communication between the goalkeeper and the defender, ”Nafuzi said.
Nafuzi said his men can still be proud of their performance despite the loss, as their young team really worried the defending champions.
“I am happy with what the players have shown. We put up a good fight and we even played better after conceding the goal, ”Nafuzi said.
“We controlled the second half, the statistics showed that my players were better than JDT.
“It is not easy to play against a team like JDT, which is the best team in the country.”
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