Johor Darul Ta'zim 3-0 Kuching City: Clinical efficiency sets the tone
Johor Darul Ta'zim opened their Super League campaign with a 3-0 victory over Kuching City on Thursday. The hosts moved to the summit of the table with four wins from four games, while the visitors slipped to second place with two wins and one defeat.
Marcos Guilherme broke the deadlock in the eleventh minute, and O. Arribas doubled the lead just after the hour mark. S. Zahedi added a third in the eightieth-sixth minute to seal the result. M. Nahuel picked up a yellow card for the visitors in the seventeenth minute.
Johor dominated possession at 53 per cent and registered twelve shots on target compared to two for Kuching City. The hosts also outworked their opponents in attacks, recording 83 to 67, and earned eight corners against three.
The performance echoed the 2-0 win Johor secured over the same opposition in May, but this time the margin was wider. Kuching City came for a cross he never reached in the final third, and their two shots off target told the story of a side left flat-footed.
Johor Darul Ta'zim are now four points clear at the top of the table. Kuching City sit second with six points, one behind the leaders after three games.