Johor Darul Ta’Zim head coach Xisco Muñoz hailed his side’s grit and “big club” stature after a high-octane 1–1 draw against Nam Định FC secured their passage to the Shopee Cup™ semi-finals on Thursday night.
In a match defined by tactical duels and three penalty calls, the Southern Tigers stood firm in a hostile environment to ensure they remain in the hunt for regional glory in their debut season.
Addressing the media post-match, Muñoz admitted that while the team had prepared for Nam Định’s lightning-fast transitions, the reality on the pitch was a grueling 50/50 battle.
“We spoke yesterday about defensive transitions and how they could decide the game,” Muñoz said. “They arrived with two transitions and they were two penalties. I don’t remember them being dangerous with combinations, but they are very strong in offensive and defensive duels. They won the duels because they are strong players.”
Despite falling behind to a rebound from a saved penalty in the first half, Muñoz was pleased with JDT’s early dominance. “In the first 15 minutes, we had two or three important situations to score. We didn’t, and after that, the game changed because we had to attack, attack, attack to take a positive result.”
The Spaniard also took a moment to praise his goalkeeper, Andoni Zubiaurre, whose heroics—including two penalty saves (though one was finished on the rebound)—kept JDT in the contest.
“Today, our goalkeeper was impressive,” Muñoz noted, acknowledging that the shot-stopper’s performance was the foundation upon which Bérgson da Silva’s 85th-minute equalizer was built.
Credit Photo : JST
