FA Cup: Munoz praises squad's resilience as JDT reach final

ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) head coach Xisco Munoz praised his players resilience and adaptability after the Southern Tigers booked their spot in the FA Cup final, with a 6-1 victory over DPMM FC at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium last night, securing an 8-1 aggregate triumph.

Despite facing a demanding match schedule, Munoz highlighted his teams discipline and relentless work rate over the full 90 minutes.

"Congratulations to the players. When we face such a hard schedule, they have to adapt to a lot of things to stay at this level of performance.

"In the second half, the team operated like a machine in offensive situations. We created over 40 shots on goal and that is the exact intensity and standard we need to demand," he said at the post-match press conference.

Munoz also noted that careful workload management remains critical to keeping the squad healthy, especially when re-integrating winger Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi following a long injury layoff.

Looking ahead, Munoz acknowledged that JDT face an even tougher test in the coming weeks with continuous away fixtures in the Asean Club Championship (ACC) and the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) across Vietnam and Thailand.

"Traveling to Vietnam and then straight to Thailand in a short timeframe is not easy.

"However, JDT always demands the maximum, and we will manage our squad to keep delivering strong results," he said.

Meanwhile, DPMM FC head coach James McAllister commended his side for holding their ground during the opening 55 minutes, while acknowledging that a breakdown in defensive structure cost them late in the game.

"I thought we gave a good fight for 55 to 60 minutes. We defended really well in the first half and then came out in the second half, got the goal, which I said to the boys we've got to be more aggressive," he said.

However, he expressed disappointment over his teams unraveling after conceding JDTs second goal.

Despite the heavy margin, McAllister remained proud of his teams broader progress this season and views the final stretch as a valuable learning curve.

JDT and Kuching City will face each other in the final to compete for the 2026 FA Cup title on Jan 16. — BERNAMA