ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Johor government has declared an occasional holiday today following the success of Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) in clinching the 2023 FA Cup last night.
JDT mounted a successful defence of the FA Cup they won last year, defeating Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC 2-0 in the final held for the first time at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium here tonight.
It is the Southern Tigers’ third FA Cup, after lifting it in 2016 and again last year, but this time around they did it in front of a home crowd of 33,598 fans.
Midfielder Shio Hong Wan and Argentine striker Leandro Velazquez were the heroes of the match, scoring a goal each in the second half to lead JDT to victory in the 32nd edition of the famous competition.
KL City’s defensive tactics kept the Southern Tigers at bay for the entire first half, but they squandered a chance to go ahead in the 16th minute when Matko Zirdum sent the ball sailing right into the arms of JDT keeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed following a free kick by Paulo Josue.
KL City had a chance in the 36th minute, but T Saravanan’s shot from a Romel Morales cross failed to find the back of JDT’s net. Earlier in the 27th minute, JDT’s Afiq Fazail’s powerful shot from outside the box was stopped by keeper Kevin Ray Mendoza.
JDT broke the deadlock in the second half when Hong Wan fired a long-range shot that bounced off the post and into the net.
The goal changed the game and made KL City play more openly, which gave JDT more opportunities to press them.
Valazquez took advantage of a defensive lapse by Kamal Azizi Zabri and Sebastian Avanzini and beat Mendoza to make it 2-0 for JDT in the 74th minute, securing their second domestic trophy of the season after their Charity Shield win in February.
JDT’s FA Cup triumph continues their unbeaten run in all domestic competitions this season, which includes a 17-match winning streak in the Super League, while KL City’s loss means that they have to wait for another year to try to win the FA Cup for the first time.
