– CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) made history by becoming the first team to win the FA Cup four times in a row after crushing Sabah 5-0 in the final on Sunday (Dec 14).
JDT were in control from the outset at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium and struck early when Jonathan Silva headed home Oscar Arribas' free kick in the ninth minute.
The Southern Tigers doubled their advantage in the 20th minute after Rawilson Batuil turned the ball into his own net, before Jairo Da Silva struck three minutes later to send JDT into the break with a 3-0 cushion.
Sabah's night went from bad to worse when midfielder Miguel Cifuentes was shown a red card just five minutes after the restart.
JDT made full use of the advantage as Aribas struck the fourth goal in the 64th minute.
Manuel Hidalgo added a late goal to wrap up a 5-0 win for JDT.
Making it even sweeter, the Argentina-born player was named the match's best player.
This marks the Southern Tigers' fourth straight FA Cup triumph since they reclaimed the title in 2022.
Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi later declared Monday (Dec 15) as a special public holiday for the state to celebrate the win.
