Johor Darul Ta'zim secured a comfortable 4-1 victory over Damansara in the FA Cup Round of 16 on Tuesday evening. The Malaysian side controlled proceedings from the opening whistle, with M. Hidalgo's brace proving decisive in a match that reflected recent form between these two opponents.
Jairo opened the scoring inside three minutes with a penalty, giving the visitors an early advantage. Dani Bolt then doubled the lead before half-time with a well-taken goal in the 29th minute, followed immediately by Hidalgo's first in the 42nd minute. By then the match was already decided, though Hidalgo added a second in the 54th minute before A. Akmal pulled one back for Damansara in stoppage time.
The result continued Johor Darul Ta'zim's impressive run of results. They had beaten Imigresen 7-0, Kelantan Red Warriors 9-0, and Kuching City 3-0 in their previous three matches, before drawing 3-3 with Chelsea and beating Cartagena 2-0. Damansara's recent record told a different story entirely — losses to Perak and heavy defeats against Johor Darul Ta'zim themselves, including a 3-5 and 0-5 result in previous encounters.
And here's the thing about matches like this — sometimes the narrative is written long before the teams take the field. Johor Darul Ta'zim's attacking firepower was evident in their previous results, and Damansara's struggles against Malaysian opposition suggested this would not be an even contest.
The victory means Johor Darul Ta'zim advance to the quarter-finals, while Damansara's cup campaign comes to an end. The final scoreline of 4-1 reflected a performance that was dominant from start to finish, with Hidalgo's two goals standing out as the difference between the sides.
