PETALING JAYA: Young winger Arif Aiman Hanapi may have been Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) star of the night with his brace in their 4-0 demolition of Terengganu in the Malaysia Cup semi-final first-leg match in Gong Badak on Friday.
But veteran striker Bergson Da Silva reminded the fans that no rout can be complete without him being on the scoresheet.
The 33-year-old Da Silva and goals have become so synonymous that when the Brazilian scored the Southern Tigers’ fourth goal, finishing off a brilliant interchange of play between midfielder Nazmi Faiz Mansor and Arif in the 90th minute, it was only to be expected.
It was his sixth goal in four games in the competition. The strike took his tally to 33 goals in 31 matches in all competitions this season.
He has also provided six assists.
Like a true Southern Tiger, Da Silva said he is still hungry for more thanks to the rich ammunition provided by his teammates.
‘’I’m just going to keep scoring thanks to the good support of my teammates.
‘‘But whoever hits the target, the most important thing is that it results in a win for the team,’’ said the former Fortaleza and Suwon Bluewings hitman.
‘’We now have a comfortable lead but we should not take it for granted. The aim is to get to the final and win the Malaysia Cup for the third time in a row.’’
The second leg will be at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Feb 1.
Da Silva, who has been with JDT since 2021, is the club’s all-time top scorer with 139 goals from 127 matches, and talk is rife that he could be a naturalised player for Harimau Malaya.
But first he has his sights set on helping JDT accomplish a third straight quadruple.
With the Charity Shield and FA Cup already in the bag this season, very few would bet against JDT sweeping the remaining Malaysia Cup and Super League title.
