PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim’s newest striking weapon has already earned the approval of coach Xisco Munoz after Ajdin Mujagic marked his debut with a sensational hattrick in the Southern Tigers’ 5-0 demolition of Melaka in their Malaysia Cup quarter-final first leg on Friday.
“We knew the capacity he had when the club brought him in,” said the Spaniard.
“He’s a very good striker inside the box. He has good finishing and that’s important for us because I think he can give an extra dimension to our team.”
The Bosnian forward, who joined from Sabah during the second transfer window, wasted no time justifying JDT’s decision to bolster an already potent frontline.
Mujagic, 27, struck in the fifth, eighth and 60th minutes at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, giving the home side a commanding advantage ahead of the return leg at Hang Jebat Stadium on Feb 25.
His first goal was a classic poacher’s effort, tapping home from close range after Park Jun-heong’s header off a Hector Hevel corner.
The second again came from a set-piece as Hevel’s free-kick found Feroz Baharuddin before the ball fell kindly for Mujagic to hammer past the goalkeeper.
He completed his treble just after the hour, finishing confidently after being played through by Oscar Arribas.
Manuel Hidalgo added a fourth in the 71st minute with a delicate chip after receiving a pass from Mujagic, while Marcus Guilherme wrapped up the rout three minutes later, rounding goalkeeper Haziq Aiman Esa before calmly slotting into an empty net.
With that performance, Munoz is now blessed with an enviable array of goalscoring No. 9s, including club legend Bergson Da Silva, Romel Morales, Jairo Da Silva and now Mujagic.
“I know the club are always working to give the best to the team. For me, it’s incredible how they work every day to add another striker like him and give one more option for us,” said Munoz.
“It’s important we have another striker because we create a lot of chances. In important matches, the difference is in the small details,” said the former Watford coach.
Despite the convincing victory, Munoz stressed that every match remains part of a broader process.
“All games are good preparation to improve. Our identity is to get better every day and to become more solid in certain situations.”
With eight or nine matches packed into 28 days this month, rotation will be crucial.
But with Mujagic adding to an already formidable stable of strikers, Munoz can look ahead with confidence as JDT chase silverware on all fronts.
