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PETALING JAYA: It was the most nervous victory, but Johor Darul Ta’zim is very happy to have taken five points from Perak at the top of the Super League table, thanks to a narrow 3-2 win over Pahang.
The defending champions showed why they were the best in the nation when they scored three goals in the first 35 minutes at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan on Friday, but the home side rebounded by scoring two in a vibrant first half.
For JDT coach Benjamin Mora, that double jolt was a wake-up call for his players, but he was more than happy to see his boys resume the league on a winning note.
“After so many months without any action, it was difficult for the professional players to get back into action in good shape.
“It was good to see the guys get all three points. We are happy that there is distance at the top now (after Perak lost 0-1 to Melaka).
“We controlled the game, but we had a little setback in the first half.
“Things can happen, but after conceding both, we realized that we needed to stay in shape, we adjusted and did better in the second half.
“We could have won 5-2, but we will learn and improve for the next game.”
The Tigres del Sur, without former Pahang captain Matthew Davies, who wasn’t even on the bench, got off to a great start in the fifth minute when Leandro Velázquez scored on a brilliant free kick from 25 meters.
Ten minutes later, young winger Ramadhan Saifullah defeated three players to score a sumptuous solo goal. In the 35th minute, winger Gonzalo Cabrera shot a penalty for a comfortable lead.
However, the Elephants rallied when Faisal Halim took advantage of goalkeeper Farizal Marlias’ error in the 40th minute, and five minutes later, burly center-back Herold Goulon headed in the team’s second goal from a corner kick.
That woke up JDT when they managed to stabilize in the second half, and they might even have won by a significant margin had they been clinicians early on in the second half without goals.
Pahang’s coach Dollah Salleh said his team showed too much respect for their opponents in the first 30 minutes. After Faisal’s goal, the players regained their confidence, but it wasn’t enough.
“I am proud of the guys because they showed a fight. We showed that we could compete against people like JDT. When we lost Dickson (Nwakaeme) in the 70th minute (to injury), we could only rely on Faisal for goals, but we showed a fight.
“To be honest, the game felt like a friendly because there were no fans. Usually home turf should be an advantage, but without the fans, it was like neutral terrain. “
Pahang is sixth in the league with six points, while JDT leads with 13.
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