ISKANDAR PUTERI, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) once again proved their dominance after beating UM-Damansara United 5-3 in the return leg of the FA Cup 2025 round of 16 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium here tonight.
With a commanding 5-0 win from the first leg in August, the Southern Tigers advanced to the quarter-finals with a 10-3 aggegate victory, clearly showcasing the gulf in quality between the two teams.
The home side opened the scoring as early as the third minute through a header by Romel Morales following a cross from Manuel Hidalgo.
Not long after, Hidalgo himself doubled the lead with a strike from the middle of the pitch in the eighth minute.
Xisco Munoz’s men continued their relentless pressure and added a third when Hebert slotted home from Nazmi Faiz’s pass inside the penalty box.
However, the second half saw the visitors mount a comeback, capitalising on JDT goalkeeper Christian Abad’s error when Thankgod Michael struck in the 62nd minute before Anuar Ceesay reduced the deficit further in the 66th.
Morales restored JDT’s cushion with a powerful header in the 70th minute, but Ceesay once again gave the home fans a scare with a long-range effort in the 74th.
The drama continued late in the game when Morales’ penalty was saved by Haziq Fitri, but the import striker redeemed himself by completing his hat-trick after connecting with Moussa Sidibe’s pass to seal a 5-3 victory.
-- BERNAMA
