KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 — Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) head coach Hector Bidoglio expressed pride and satisfaction with his players’ commitment after they lifted the Malaysia Cup by defeating Sri Pahang FC 2-1 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here tonight.
Bidoglio said the players had shown great character throughout what had been a long and challenging season for the Southern Tigers squad.
“The players were great. I’m very happy. We had a tough and long season, working until now, and the players always played with good personalities. I’m proud and happy the players worked well,” the Argentine coach told a post-match press conference here.
In tonight’s final, which saw both teams reduced to 10 men after referee Razlan Joffri Ali issued two red cards, Sri Pahang stunned JDT by taking the lead through T. Saravanan’s goal in the 14th minute.
However, drawing on their experience, JDT managed to equalise through a penalty converted by prolific striker Bergson Da Silva in the 54th minute before sensational star Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi struck the winning goal for the Southern Tigers in the 74th minute.
The victory completed JDT’s historic triple treble, making them the only team to achieve the feat since Kedah’s double treble success in 2007 and 2008.
Meanwhile, Sri Pahang head coach Fandi Ahmad remained satisfied with his team’s performance throughout the game despite ultimately having to accept the result of being crowned runners-up.
He said the Tok Gajah squad was confident that they could spring a surprise tonight, especially after leading 1-0 at the start, but the loss of a player who was red-carded in the first half left them a bit shaken.
“We just told them to focus even when one man is down. They gave their 200 per cent in the first half of the match, but things just turned bad in the second half.
“JDT have quality all over, but as I said before, winning or losing is not everything for us, but we manage to show character and determination in the gameplay,” said the former player of Pahang and the Singapore national squad. — Bernama
