KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) coach Hector Bidoglio fielded his second stringers, and it was enough to crush Kuala Lumpur Rovers 3-0 in the Malaysia Cup first round first leg at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium today.
JDT's Brazilian forward Heberty Fernandes scored a hat-trick with goals in the 26th, 30th and 71st minutes against the A1 Semi-Pro League side.
Bidoglio, whose team are in the driver's seat to reach the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals, said: "For me, it's a good result but we need to improve, we need to have more intensity.
"I believe in my squad, they tried to give 100 per cent. It was a difficult game, the opponents laid low, it was difficult to find space, the players tried to penetrate the defensive line.
"We are playing in the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE), Super League and Malaysia Cup. We need to take it game by game. All the games are difficult, we still need to improve to play as a team."
JDT will next shift their focus to the ACLE as they travel to China to play Shandong Taishan on Nov 26.