Well done: JDT’s Bergson Da Silva (left) is congratulated by teammate Romel Morales after scoring against Kuching City. — Bernama
JDT’s Bergson emerges as season’s top scorer but falls short of breaking all-time record
PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) goal machine Bergson Da Silva will have to wait until next season to break Indra Putra Mahayuddin’s record as the all-time top scorer in the Super League.
The Brazilian-born striker contributed one goal when JDT beat Kuching City 2-0 at the Sarawak Stadium on Wednesday.
Bergson, who needed three goals to surpass Indra’s record, started positively when he scored his team’s opening goal as early as the fifth minute before Romel Morales netted the second goal 11 minutes later.
Bergson’s dream of finding two more goals, however, was not realised when he was replaced by Heberty Fernandes early in the second half.
The additional goal in Kuching though allowed Bergson to increase his personal tally this season to 32 goals and become the highest ever goal scorer in a single season.
Having scored 105 goals in total while playing in the Super League since 2021, the 34-year-old is only one goal behind Indra Putra in the all-time top scorer chart.
Outstanding: A chart of Johor Darul Ta'zim's achievements for the season. - JDT
With the win, champions JDT have wrapped up their Super League campaign in style by remaining unbeaten throughout the season.
JDT finished the season with 70 points from 23 wins and one draw, netting 90 goals and conceding just eight.
Coach Hector Bidoglio later explained their decision to take off their prolific striker early in the second half so as to avoid any injuries.
“We want to ensure our key player is ready to be fielded in the Malaysia Cup final,” said Bidoglio.
“This (against Kuching City) is our last match (in the Super League) but we have a very important match one coming up, the Cup final next Saturday (against Pahang on April 26).
“All the players want a good moment but they also want to play in the Cup final.
“Now we need to focus and continue working to get ready for the final,” added Bidoglio, who was undoubtedly pleased with the outcome in Kuching.
The victory over Kuching City meant JDT, who are champions 11 times in a row since 2014, close out another Super League season with an unbeaten record.
It is the fifth time JDT have ended the Super League season with an unbeaten record after achieving similar success in 2016, 2020, 2022, and 2023.
