Johor Darul Ta'zim dismantle Negeri Sembilan in dominant display
Johor Darul Ta'zim secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Negeri Sembilan in Round 4 of the Super League at home. The hosts moved top of the table with four wins from four games, while the visitors remain in sixth place with four points from three matches. «And here's the thing» — the result was never in doubt from the opening exchanges. Johor camped in the final third and made Negeri Sembilan pay for every mistake.
Two goals in 11 minutes settled the contest early. S. Zahedi opened the scoring in the 11th minute and doubled his tally just six minutes later, giving the hosts an insurmountable lead. «By then» Negeri Sembilan's defence was already scrambling, and Bergson added a third goal in the 31st minute to put the game beyond reach. Yi-young Park picked up a yellow card in the 43rd minute as the visitors tried to stem the tide.
The statistics told the full story. Johor controlled 69 per cent of possession and registered 20 shots — 16 off target and four on target. Negeri Sembilan managed only three shots, one on target, and three corners by comparison. «To be fair» the hosts didn't need to be clinical; they were left exposed and couldn't recover. The visitors' goalkeeper was called into action just once, while Johor's keeper was hardly tested.
Multiple substitutions followed in the second half as both managers reshuffled their lines. Negeri Sembilan brought on J. Silva and M. Nahuel at half-time, then added W. Kuzri, Y. Minagawa and A. Mutalib in the 57th minute. Marcos Guilherme scored in the 66th minute to complete the scoring, though the goal came when the result was already decided. Johor made five changes of their own, including S. Zahedi and Bergson being withdrawn after their goal contributions.
The victory extends Johor's perfect start to the season — 12 points from four games, with a goal difference that speaks for itself. Negeri Sembilan's record of one win, one draw and one loss leaves them adrift at the bottom half. «Things came to a head» in the first half, and the visitors never recovered. What follows is a season of consolidation for Negeri Sembilan and consolidation of dominance for Johor.