Selangor FC draw level with Johor Darul Ta’zim on 18 points as DPMM FC catch Kuching City FC

Selangor FC are level with Johor Darul Ta’zim at the top end of the Malaysia Super League: a 1-0 win over Star City FC at MBPJ Stadium on 1 November left both clubs on 18 points from six matches.

Level on points, not on record

At the start of the week Johor Darul Ta’zim had 18 points from six matches and Selangor FC had 15 from five. Read quickly, the end of the week looks like the leaders slipping and a challenger closing in. It is not. Johor Darul Ta’zim did not play at all this week, and they finished it exactly where they started it. Their sixth league match came back on 26 August, a 9-0 win over Kelantan Red Warrior FC.

So the real reasons the two are level are simple, and there are two of them. First, Selangor FC played the match they had in hand and won it, which makes six wins from six. Second, Johor Darul Ta’zim have not dropped a point all season.

What the points hide, the goals show. Johor Darul Ta’zim have scored 28 and conceded none; Selangor FC have scored 17 and conceded 4. The win over Star City FC was a narrow one. Boumous scored in the 16th minute from Chrigor Moraes’s pass, and that was the only goal. Selangor FC’s preview reported that head coach Kim Pan-gon said the squad had a number of injuries after the Kuching City FC game and had concentrated on recovery. Narrow or not, a perfect record is a perfect record.

So who is ahead? On points, nobody. They meet at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on 23 December.

Team of the week: DPMM FC

DPMM FC began the week with 9 points from five matches, three behind Kuching City FC on 12. They ended it level, both clubs on 12 from six. Kuching City FC did not play this week, so this was all DPMM FC’s own work.

The 3-1 win over Negeri Sembilan FC at Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium on 30 October was won late. Murray scored in the 12th minute and Hakim equalised in the 34th minute. The score stayed level until Dalberto scored in the 88th minute, and Santis added a third at 90+2’ from Dalberto’s pass.

That makes Dalberto the player of the week. He also scored twice in the 3-2 win over Kuching City FC on 18 October, in the 6th and 67th minutes. DPMM FC’s last five league results read win, win, win, defeat, defeat, newest first. The side beaten 3-0 by Johor Darul Ta’zim in September is now level on points with the club that sat third.

Sabah and Melaka climb

Sabah FC beat Terengganu FC 2-0 at Likas Stadium on 31 October, with goals in the 20th and 25th minutes, the second from Di Renzo off Lok’s pass. Terengganu FC’s own match report says they played with ten men after Romel Morales was sent off in the first half. Stadium Astro reported that it was Sabah FC’s third win in their opening six league matches. They sit fifth on 10 points, up from 7.

Melaka FC came from behind at Penang FC on 1 November and won 2-1. Brundo scored a penalty for the home side in the 62nd minute, Kalesic equalised in the 72nd minute, and Agbre won it with a penalty in the 90th minute. Melaka FC started the week level with Kuala Lumpur City on 6 points. They finished it sixth on 9, with Kuala Lumpur City seventh on 6.

Who is slipping

Penang FC are the side in trouble. They have 4 points from six matches and sit 11th, where they started the week. Stadium Astro reported that the club’s management stood down head coach Wan Rohaimi Wan Ismail immediately after the defeat by Melaka FC.

Just above them, three clubs stood still. Negeri Sembilan FC, Terengganu FC and Star City FC each began and ended the week on 5 points, and each lost its match. Kelantan Red Warrior FC remain bottom with no points from six matches.

Verdict

StraitScore’s view: this week changed the look of the title race more than its substance. Selangor FC have earned their place level with Johor Darul Ta’zim with six wins from six, but they caught Johor Darul Ta’zim by playing a game in hand, not by taking points off them, and a goal record of 28 scored and none conceded is still the strongest line in the table. The gap behind them is the clearer story: DPMM FC and Kuching City FC have 12 points each, six off the pair at the top. For now, this is a two-club race.