Pahang fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan on Tuesday as Johor Darul Takzim further tightened their grip for a fifth Malaysian Super League title.
The back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Southern Tigers left Pahang in third place in the 12-team league while JDT took their tally to 38 points from 15 matches. Perak is a distant second with 27 points.
For the Elephants, it was another heartbreaking defeat to their arch-rivals, having lost to JDT 1-0 at the Larkin Stadium in Johor Bahru last Friday.
Playing below strength due to suspension and injuries to their key players, Pahang found the going tough against their opponents who once again saw their newly signed Argentine hitman Fernando Marquez getting his name into the scoresheet in the 32nd minute.
Pahang, however, equalized on 80 minutes through Issey Nakajima and a share of the spoils looked imminent until the homesters conceded a last-minute penalty.
Gonzalo Cabrera made no mistake from the spot for a 2-1 and three points from a tough away match that beckons JDT their fifth successive league title and a place in next year’s AFC Champions League. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
