Defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim delivered a dominant performance to defeat Kuala Lumpur City 4-0 in the first leg of the Piala Malaysia Cup 2025/26 semi-finals at KLFA Stadium, Kuala Lumpur.
The convincing victory gives head coach Xisco Munoz and his squad a massive advantage ahead of the second leg as they continue their pursuit of domestic silverware.
JDT wasted no time asserting their authority, opening the scoring in just the fifth minute through prolific striker Bergson Da Silva. The Brazilian forward unleashed a powerful strike that beat the KL City defence and goalkeeper Quincy Kammeraad, sending the visiting supporters into celebration.
With Jairo Da Silva partnering Bergson in attack, the Southern Tigers continued to press aggressively and control possession throughout the first half.
Their dominance paid off again in the 31st minute, when Spanish playmaker Ager Aketxe doubled the lead with a superb free-kick that left the hosts with little chance of recovery.
The visitors went into the break with a 2-0 advantage, firmly in control of the match.
After the restart, KL City attempted to respond through Safawi Rasid and Madger Gomes, but both efforts failed to trouble the well-organized JDT defence, guarded by goalkeeper Syihan Hazmi.
JDT soon tightened their grip on the match when defender Oscar Arribas joined the attack and struck to make it 3-0, compounding the misery for KL City and their head coach Risto Vidakovic.
KL City nearly found a breakthrough late in the second half when Safawi Rasid raced through on goal, but his one-on-one effort was brilliantly denied by Syihan Hazmi.
Moments later, Aketxe completed his brace, sealing JDT’s fourth goal of the night and effectively putting the tie beyond reach.
The match ended 4-0 in favour of Johor Darul Ta’zim, giving the Malaysian giants a commanding aggregate advantage heading into the second leg on 7 April.
Credit Photo : Simon Yap/SNE-Photo
