It’s for you, boss!
JDT coach Longhi dedicates Super League triumph to club owner TMJ
PETALING JAYA: This is for you, boss.
Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) coach Raul Longhi has dedicated the team’s fifth consecutive Malaysian Super League triumph to club owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
JDT’s hard-fought 2-1 win over Perak in Ipoh on Tuesday was enough to secure them an unassailable lead in the standings with four games to be played.
JDT now have 47 points from 18 matches while second- placed Perak have 31 points.
The Argentinian is the fourth different coach to win the top flight title with the club.
Longhi, who succeeded Portuguese Ulisses Morais after the latter left abruptly in February, joined the list of JDT league-winning coaches which included Croatian Bojan Hodak, Argentinian Mario Gomez and Morais.
“I would like to take this opportunity to dedicate the historic suc- cess to our boss, the Crown Prince of Johor, as well as all JDT fans,” said the 66-year-old.
“I’ve worked for three years at JDT. When Morais made his decision to return to Portugal, Tunku Ismail asked me to become the coach for the team.
“I accepted it. Then, I worked every day and for every match,” he said.
Longhi also hailed his players’ efforts against a strong Perak side en route to securing their automatic qualification into the AFC Champions League next season.
Perak could have delayed JDT’s march to the title as they opened the scoring through Norhakim Hassan in the 72nd minute but goals from JDT’s Hariss Harun in the 76th and Safawi Rasid in the 83rd minute sealed their title.
“The match was indeed very difficult.
“Perak are a great team. In the first half, we had three to four chances to score goals, but luck was not on our side,” he said.
“However, the players played well in the second half and they scored two goals. I’m very happy with all of them.”
JDT’s hero Safawi is rubbing his hand in glee at the prospect of getting his first taste of AFC Champions League football.
“This is the sweetest moment because I scored the winning goal for the team,” said Safawi.
“With this win, we have secured our AFC Champions League slot for the first time. I do not want to miss the opportunity to get a place in the league.”