SMK Taman Desa (the academy of Johor Darul Takzim) Under 14 team stepped into the final of the Malaysia Minister of Education League Cup U14 following their comfortable 4-0 victory over SMK Mutiara Impian in the semifinal at the Iskandar Puteri City Council Field, Johor last Saturday.
SMK Taman Desa got things off on a fine start in the 22nd minute with a rifling finish from Muhd Hairul Nurulasyikin’s from outside the penalty box for the southerners to take the slim lead into the second half.
Muhd Rakhi Mat Saad’s boys tried to get back into the game after the restart but SMK Taman Desa absorbed much of the pressure from the visiting side.
It was SMK Taman Desa who went ahead again with two quick goals from Muhd Aqif Syameel Muhd Fairul in the 40th minute and Nor Elthaqif Nadhir Norizam’s 42nd minute freekick for them to be 3-0 in front.
With SMK Mutiara Impian unable to stem off the tide, Mohd Fahim Akmal Zulkarnain then gave SMK Taman Desa their fourth goal of the game in the 64th minute.
“We may have played this team (SMK Mutiara Impian) three months ago; but the way we play is different today even though the players may be the same.
“We controlled the ball much better than three months ago, the quality of the passing, finding space and making crosses to win this match are all different,” said Rodolfo Pereda Villa, the head coach of SMK Taman Desa.
Commenting on the meeting with Akademi Mokhtar Dahari (AMD) U14 in the final this Saturday (7 December 2024) in Pasir Gudang, Rodolfo said that his main focus is on his team’s preparation, more than anything else.
He added: “we have different plans and methodology where we will use them for the other aspects of the game.”
In the other semi-final tie that was played on Monday, Akademi Mokhtar Dahari (AMD) U14 scored a 2-0 victory over another Johor representative, Sekolah Sukan Tunku Mahkota Ismail (SSTMI).
AMD U14’s first goal came through Ahmad Yusuf Nasrullah Ahmad Ramli’s goal in the 7th minute before Muhd Syaifullah Mahruzi added the second in the 39th minute.
The final between SMK Taman Desa and AMD U14 this Saturday is a replay of the finale in 2023 which saw AMD U14 taking a narrow 3-2 victory.
