Surrounded: JDT’s Juan Muniz (centre) battles for the ball with KL’s Brendan Gan (left) and Ryan Lambert (right) during their Super League match at the Cheras Football Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. JDT won 5-1. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) 5-1 drubbing of Kuala Lumpur in the Super League on Saturday drew many high fives from the players, especially those who partook in the goal feast.
Spanish set-piece specialist Juan Muniz was one of them. The 32-year-old left footer scored a beautiful brace, one of it a sumptuous free-kick from 20 metres.
His second was a long-range effort from outside the box
For Muniz, the delightful double was redemption for his misfire against Negri Sembilan on May 18, where he failed to hit home any of his free-kicks at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.
He felt that he should have scored twice against the Deer as that would have given them a bigger win than the 3-1 scoreline.
“I had two good chances against Negri but I could not bury them. I was disappointed and you could see my reaction after the game. So when I scored against KL, I was relieved, and I had a big smile on my face,” said the 32-year-old.
“I’m also happy for the team, who played well to deserve the big win.’’
JDT’s other goals against KL were scored by Argentine Fernando Forestieri, who also netted a brace, and wingback Syahmi Safari.
KL’s goal was scored by Paolo Jouse via a penalty.
Muniz said despite the huge scoreline, the game wasn’t as easy as it seemed.
“We’re not used to playing in the evening, as our games are usually at night. That itself was a test, and allowing KL to pull one goal back after we were leading 2-0 is not something we can take lightly,’’ he said.
“They also had some good chances from counter attacks, and we must be wary not to get caught in those situations.’’
JDT lead the standings with nine points from three matches while KL are 10th with just a point from two games.
