PETALING JAYA: Romel Morales’ name lit up the scoreboard three times on Thursday night, but his battle is far from over.
The Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) forward delivered a stunning hattrick in the Southern Tigers’ 5-3 win over Universiti Malaya (UM)-Damansara in the FA Cup round-of-16 second leg at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri – a performance that once again reminded fans of his quality.
But for Morales, goals alone may not guarantee a starting berth in the national team.
The 28-year-old Colombian-born naturalised player has found himself in one of the toughest attacking environments in Malaysian football.
Ahead of him in the pecking order are household names - Bergson Da Silva, Jairo Da Silva, and Joao Figueiredo - each proven goalscorers for the club this season.
In a squad brimming with attacking firepower, Morales has often been the one waiting in the wings, eager for his turn.
So far this season, he has logged only 158 minutes of football across all domestic competitions.
“People who know me know that I demand the best from myself.
‘‘I will always be ready when I have the chance to play,” said Morales.
“We have quality in JDT and players compete with each other for a spot in the first eleven.”
Against UM-Damansara, Morales struck early in the third minute, added a second midway (72nd) through the second half, and completed his hattrick deep in stoppage time (94th), even after seeing his penalty saved just moments before.
