ISKANDAR PUTERI: Heberty Fernandes' hat-trick helped Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) maintain their winning momentum with a 3-0 victory over Sri Pahang in a Super League match at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium here on Friday.
With this win, the Southern Tigers secured their position at the top of the table with 12 points from four wins.
JDT coach Hector Bidoglio made a surprising decision in the starting lineup by omitting key players Bergson Da Silva and Fernando Forestieri, opting instead to start Romel Morales to lead the attack.
As early as the fourth minute, JDT broke through Sri Pahang's defence after a pass from Juan Muniz created space for Heberty, who fired a low shot from outside the penalty box into the bottom right corner, beating goalkeeper Zarif Irfan Hashimuddin.
In the 13th minute, JDT missed an opportunity to extend their lead when captain Jordi Amat's long pass found Francisco Geraldes, who managed to beat the offside trap but narrowly missed the goal with a powerful shot.
Heberty scored JDT's second goal in the 66th minute and completed his hat-trick in the 87th minute.