IT was going to happen at some point — and it did; Johor Darul Ta'zim FC (JDT) has lost a match in the Malaysia Super League.
Malaysian football was sent into a frenzy as just about every other rival fan rejoiced in triumph when Terengganu defeated the Southern Tigers by 1-0 in their very own backyard at Nusajaya.
'No Longer Invincible' read the headlines describing JDT’s upset after a record-breaking run of 649 days, which included two league titles, two Charity Cups and a Malaysia Cup trophy.
JDT's previous domestic defeat came in July 2019. It was also the only other time since 2013 that JDT lost a Super League tie at home; just two home league defeats in a staggering eight and a half years!
Although the 'noise' picked up on social media, mostly from rival fans, there has been no reason for JDT to hit the panic button for it is business as usual for the football club.
Why not, you may ask? For starters, the Southern Tigers are still at the top of the standings as they approach mid-season, plus they’ve scored the most goals, conceded the least and have more goal scorers than any other club ─ 10 of their players have found the back of their opponent’s net thus far.
Moreover, since JDT is the club to beat with presumably 22 finals in the league, every game of theirs is considered a big match by their rivals, who find that the stakes are much higher when they are faced with the Southern Tigers.
After all, it is easier to win a title than it is to defend it. Yet, JDT has won a record-breaking seven consecutive Super League titles. It is impressive when your team is the one that all the other teams want to dethrone.
In light of their recent defeat, JDT’s owner and the person behind the club’s meteoric rise, HRH Major General Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Crown Prince of Johor, shared his thoughts on social media: "Losses are small hiccups. What's important is that we still exist, our records have not been overcome. We are still here, and our agenda is clear. Defeats will happen, even not winning the title will happen someday. But the club, assets and accomplishments still exist and remain. This is not the first time we've lost, so relax".
Statistically-speaking, specifically regarding the match against Terengganu, JDT were far from outrun, outplayed or dominated in any way. In fact, JDT led the way in most areas, sans the crucial score line.
JDT dominated possession of the ball with 67%. Terengganu only had 15:40 minutes of the ball compared to JDT's 31:44 minutes. In case you're wondering what happened to the remainder of the 90 minutes, it was spent on time-wasting and the ball being out of play — resulting in an appalling playtime that fell very short of AFC's 60 minutes-of-play campaign initiated in 2013.
JDT also had 27 shots (9 on target) compared to the visitors' 7 (2 on target). JDT also had 15 corners compared to Terengganu’s two.
These statistics may not matter as much as the score line but it does assure JDT that perhaps the rare defeat could be summed up as the club just having a bad day at the office.
Just keep calm and carry on, Southern Tigers! ─ The Vibes, 29 April, 2021
Former journalist Vijhay is Head of Content at Johor Darul Ta'zim FC following stints with Malay Mail, Sports247.my, FourFourTwo Malaysia and FOX Malaysia. You may have also heard him on BFM Football or watched him on Media Prima's football programmes. Vijhay can be reached at @vijhayvick on Twitter.
