JDT go unbeaten for world record 109th league match

Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) set a world record of 109 consecutive league matches unbeaten after opening the Malaysian Super League season with a 3-0 victory over Kuching City in the Charity Shield on Friday.

Marcos Guilherme scored in the 11th minute, while Oscar Arribas and Shahab Zahedi each found the net in the second half as JDT picked a comfortable win at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.

The win saw JDT surpass the 108-match streak that Ivory Coast’s ASEC Mimosas compiled between 1989 and 1994, which the Malaysian club had matched with a 14-1 victory over Kelantan The Real Warriors in their final match of last season in May.

“A record like this is difficult to achieve in modern football,” JDT’s Spanish coach Xisco Munoz told The Star newspaper before the game.

“We want to win this trophy and become part of football history,” Munoz said.

The Southern Tigers have not lost a league match since April 2021 and have gone unbeaten through the last four Malaysian Super League campaigns.

JDT, who are chasing a 13th straight league title, have come close to completing a perfect season in recent years, dropping points in only one league game in each of the last three campaigns.

The club drew 3-3 with Premier League side Chelsea in a pre-season friendly earlier this month.

Having taken the first step in their latest title defence, JDT will look to extend their record streak when they face Kelantan Red Warrior FC on Wednesday.