Preview: JDT (2) v (4) Pahang Rangers, Semi-Final 2nd Leg
JDT will need to be at their best in their semi-final second leg against Pahang Rangers, with a win needed to take the match into extra time.
JDT must overturn a 4-2 first-leg deficit at Pasir Gudang to keep alive their hopes of reaching the MPFL 2026 final, where Selangor, who lead Terengganu 6-2 in the other semi-final, are the likely opponents. Pahang Rangers took the first leg in Kuantan and are one win from ending a season in which they have beaten JDT once, drawn once and lost once.
The play-off rules shape what each side needs. A team must win both legs of a tie to go through outright, so a JDT win by any margin would send the tie to extra time and penalties regardless of the aggregate. Pahang will want to settle it inside the 40 minutes rather than leave it to a shootout.
The first leg was a fair reflection of the season series. Felipe De Souza opened the scoring in the 7th minute, Andresito levelled in the 26th and De Souza restored the lead four minutes later, before Tuah Eizlan made it 3-1. Mohamad Awalludin pulled one back for JDT in the 39th minute, only for Rodrigo Da Silva to restore the two-goal cushion in the same minute. De Souza played the whole of the second half with a bandage around his head after a clash with Andresito, and his fitness will be watched closely. In three meetings this year, a 3-3 draw in Circuit 1, a 5-4 win for JDT in Circuit 7 and now this 4-2, no result has been separated by more than two goals.
Joao Almeida's side have shown since their second defeat of the season, a 6-3 loss to Selangor in Circuit 8, that they can score at will. They beat ATM 9-0, with Muhammad Bukhairi, who joined from that club in the mid-season window, on the scoresheet, then Terengganu 5-0 and Wipers 17-1, Andresito scoring four in the last of those. Captain Bruno Taffy and Mahadir Harahap complete an attack that scored 130 goals in the regular season.
Eloy Alonso's side have their own momentum. Pahang finished the regular season third on 37 points and have scored 19 goals in their last two matches, a 10-0 win over Wipers and a 9-2 play-off win over ATM, with De Souza and Rodrigo providing a steady supply of goals. They also know what a comeback against JDT looks like: in last year's Malaysia Futsal Cup semi-final, Pahang won the second leg 8-4 away to turn the tie around and win 11-9 on aggregate.
This time it is JDT who must find the way back, and Pahang who must hold on to what they have.
