Selangor FC keep pace with Johor Darul Ta’zim as Kuching City FC stumble in Brunei

Selangor FC have won all five of their Malaysia Super League matches, the latest a 3-1 win over Penang FC at the MBPJ Stadium on 17 October. Johor Darul Ta’zim replied the following night with a 3-0 win over Terengganu FC at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium. Further down, Kuching City FC lost 3-2 in Bandar Seri Begawan, and the closest pursuer lost ground.

Johor Darul Ta’zim have won every league match they have played this season and have not conceded a goal in any of them. Bergson, Arribas and Zahedi scored the goals in Kuala Nerus. Makan Bola reported that the Terengganu FC camp said injuries to players had disrupted their preparations for the game.

Selangor FC have 15 points from five matches, with 16 goals scored and four conceded. Chrigor Moraes scored twice against Penang FC and Khalili added the last goal in stoppage time, with Brundo scoring for the visitors in between. Selangor FC said the win was the club’s 2,000th match in its history. According to the club, head coach Kim Pan-gon said he was proud of how his players performed.

So is the title already a two-club race? Not on the arithmetic, but the table leans that way. Kuching City FC, third, have 12 points from six matches; Selangor FC have 15 from five. Both of Kuching City FC’s defeats this season have come away from home, at Johor Darul Ta’zim on 21 August and at DPMM FC on 18 October.

The chasers

In Bandar Seri Begawan, Dalberto put DPMM FC ahead and Wenzel-Halls scored twice to turn the match for Kuching City FC. DPMM FC then turned it back, with Ali Rahman scoring and Dalberto getting the winner. Stadium Astro reported that Kuching City FC captain Petrus Shitembi was sent off on a second yellow card. A side with designs on the title cannot hold a lead away from home and leave with nothing; that is the kind of result that separates a challenger from the pack.

DPMM FC are the side rising. They are fourth with 9 points from five matches. Their latest form reads win, win, defeat, defeat, win, newest first, so the result against Kuching City FC was a second league win in a row.

Kuala Lumpur City are the side slipping. They led at Melaka FC through Sadat, fell behind to goals from Christian and Sherman, and drew level through Ahmad. Utusan Malaysia reported that Ruventhiran scored the winner in the 86th minute. Kuala Lumpur City have 6 points from six matches and have conceded 16 goals; Melaka FC also have 6, from five.

Kelantan Red Warrior FC are still waiting for a point. A 5-2 home defeat by Star City FC was their sixth in six matches, and they have conceded 29 goals.

In Seremban, Di Renzo put Sabah FC ahead just before half-time and Motika equalised from the penalty spot for Negeri Sembilan FC. The 1-1 draw leaves Sabah FC fifth with 7 points.

Player of the week

StraitScore’s player of the week is Fikri of Star City FC. He scored a hat-trick in Kota Bharu, and Douglas Oliveira added a penalty in stoppage time. It was Star City FC’s first league win of the season, and it lifts them to 5 points. On a weekend when the clubs around the middle of the table kept taking points off each other, his were the goals that changed a team’s season.

The two leaders do not meet until 23 December, at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri. StraitScore’s view: until somebody takes points off Johor Darul Ta’zim or Selangor FC, this title is theirs to share between them, and Kuching City FC have just shown why the chasing pack has not yet earned a place in the conversation.