KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) won the FA Cup for a record third straight year after their magnificent 6-1 victory over Selangor in the final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Saturday.
In achieving their "FA Cup hat-trick", the Southern Tigers surpassed Kuala Lumpur, Kelantan and Kedah who previously won the tournament for two straight seasons.
JDT's Spanish midfielder Juan Muniz was the star of the match, scoring a hat-trick.
In front of 80,350 fans, the first seven minutes itself saw Selangor in disarray, reeling from JDT's aggressive play. It also saw Selangor's assistant coach Conor Nester getting a yellow card from referee Nazmi Nasaruddin.
Selangor custodian Sam Somerville, after stopping three shots, was finally beaten by Muniz's freekick in the 26th minute.
Tempers flared amid jersey tugging and shoving in the 39th, but play continued with the Southern Tigers getting their second goal in the 42nd through Arif Aiman Hanapi.
Cape Verdean winger Alvin Fortes reduced the deficit for Selangor in the 59th when he slotted a shot past JDT custodian Syihan Hazmi.
But just three minutes later, JDT extended their lead to 3-1 though a soft goal from Bergson Da Silva that left Somerville fumbling. It became 4-1 in the 67th through Muniz.
Selangor coach Nidzam Jamil opted to substitute Somerville with Azim Al Amin Kamaruddin in the 70th.
Azim probably knew what he was in for, facing a firing squad. JDT keep firing away, and in the 76th, Azim was beaten by Heberty Fernandes.
That's not the end. The 32-year-old Muniz rifled in one more goal towards the end of the game to complete his hat-trick.
JDT Venezuelan coach Hector Bidoglio, who joined the Johor club in 2022, said: "At the moment I'm very happy, and happy for the club, the players and the JDT family.
"JDT played well, Selangor, too, but in some moments, we had clear situations to score with precision. And there were moments in the game where the players were free, have space, and it's the final so to win is a good result."
Selangor coach Nidzam Jamil said: "We know we're facing JDT. The result has shown us how we should be competing. We're not happy with the 6-1 loss but again, this is the final and the result is disappointing to many."