Top scorer: Bergson Da Silva celebrates the 6-1 win against Kelantan. – Photo by JDT FC
PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) extended their unbeaten run in the Super League to 70 games by defeating Kelantan 6-1 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Sunday.
However, the Southern Tigers faced stiff resistance in the first 40 minutes, with the Golden Deer’s defence holding strong and new goalkeeper Fikri Che Soh making several key saves to keep JDT at bay.
The breakthrough finally came in the 42nd minute when Brazilian striker Bergson Da Silva converted a cross from midfielder Nazmi Faiz Mansor.
Bergson, 33, went on to complete a hattrick with additional goals in the 45th and 71st minutes, bringing his league-leading total to 13 goals.
Winger Arif Aiman Hanapi added two more goals in quick succession in the 55th and 58th minutes, while Kelantan’s misery was compounded by an own goal from wingback Umeir Aznan in the 75th minute.
Kelantan’s consolation came from Palestinian striker Layth Kharoub, who scored in the 65th minute after being set up by new Brazilian signing Washington Brandao.
JDT’s head coach Hector Bidoglio praised his team’s performance.
“JDT are in good form, and they put on a great performance. The first 40 minutes were tough, but once we broke their defence, we played with excellent precision,” said the Venezuelan.
“Our movement was superb, and we kept our opponents under constant pressure. I’m very pleased with the team.
“We have many games in quick succession, but the team’s mentality is strong. We’ll decide on our lineup the day before our match against Kuching on Sept 27. We may rotate or maintain the squad.”
On not securing a clean sheet, Bidoglio said: “We could have defended that situation better, but that’s football. We’ll learn from it and improve. We need to handle long balls better and be stronger in our second ball recoveries.
“But I can’t fault the defence, they’re always working hard to improve.”
With the win, JDT remain at the top of the league standings with 28 points from 10 matches, holding a six-point lead over second-placed Selangor.
Kelantan, meanwhile, remain at the bottom with just three points from 10 matches.
