PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) may have cruised into the FA Cup final with an 8-1 aggregate win over Brunei, but the return of Jon Irazabal and Joao Figueiredo was another talking point.
The duo were among seven players implicated in the document falsification scandal whose suspensions ended on Nov 1.
Both were named in head coach Xisco Munoz’s starting line-up for Sunday’s semi-final, second-leg match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri.
It was only their second appearance since returning from suspension, having featured against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the AFC Champions League Elite on Nov 3. Figueiredo also got on the scoresheet, opening JDT’s scoring in the 27th minute before making way for Nacho Mendez in the second half.
However, Munoz is taking a cautious approach with the duo, knowing they need time to regain their match fitness after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
“We spoke about this three weeks ago, particularly how to manage the players after they had been out of action for a long time,” said Munoz.
“It’s important to give them the right amount of playing time to gradually regain their match rhythm.”
JDT added five more goals through Manuel Hidalgo (59th minute), Oscar Arribas (64th), Jairo da Silva (66th), Daniesh Amirrudin (88th) and Guilherme (90+3). Jordan Murray scored Brunei’s consolation goal in the 27th minute.
The Southern Tigers had already built a comfortable advantage with a 2-0 win in the first leg at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on Oct 23.
They will now face Kuching City in the final on Jan 16 at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium as they bid to defend their FA Cup crown.
