The JDT head coach had praise for the way Selangor pushed his team all the way after The Southern Tigers came through a difficult semi-final.
Johor Darul Ta’zim are through to yet another final and could put their hands on their third trophy of the season after they smashed Selangor out of the park with a comprehensive 3-0 win in the Malaysia Cup semi-final second leg at Shah Alam Stadium to advance to the 2019 final with 5-1 aggregate score.
There was plenty for head coach Benjamin Mora to be happy about and in a way, the challenge which Selangor showed in the first leg at Larkin reminded JDT of the level they need to reach in order to advance in the competition. Mora was also glad that his team were able to be the one breaking the deadlock, a situation which ultimately led to the other goals as Selangor opened up.
“We faced a team that plays good football in Selangor because it makes the game more attractive to the fans. And that’s what we want, for Malaysian football to have more teams like these. When Selangor came to Larkin, it was a difficult game. The lead was not very clear and it was very open still. We came here knowing the weather is not going to help both teams.
“We knew that if we don’t give 100% in every situation, we were going to get in trouble. I told my players that the most important thing today (Saturday) was to score the first goal and after that the game will be more open. And Safawi did. The pitch didn’t help but still we were a team that knew what to do in every moment.
“All the players were in a balanced situation meaning we didn’t have anything to fix. Only Mauri (Mauricio dos Santos) had a bit of a back problem and had to go off. We were well shaped and organised. We are not a team that talk a lot before the game, we prefer to talk after the game and today we were the better team in Shah Alam.
Safawi Rasid produced the hattrick of goals, Afiq Fazail grabbing a pair of assists, Diogo Luis Santo returning to marshall the attack, Hariss Harun dominated the centre of the pitch while the combination of Mauricio dos Santos and Aidil Zafuan ensured a frustrating night for Ifedayo Olusegun.
Kedah now stands in JDT’s way in the final after the former were dragged all the way by Pahang in the other semi-final in an amazing 5-5 draw that concluded in extra time. The final is planned for November 2 2019 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.
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