Malaysia Super League (MSL) champions Johor Darul Ta'zim eased into the quarterfinals of the 2016 Malaysia FA Cup with a 4-1 victory over second tier side, Negeri Sembilan on Friday night.
JDT, who won the 2016 Charity Shield last month, took control of the match with goals to Azniee Taib and Amri Yahyah in the first 12 minutes before substitute Jorge Pereyra Diaz fired a second half double.
Here are three thoughts on the game in front of 21,430 fans at Larkin Stadium.
1. All Malaysian forward line to start
With a combined age of 65, Safee Sali and Amri Yahyah are almost certainly past their prime. And, yet, the two talented attackers will be among the first names selected by national coach Ong Kim Swee for the 2018 AFC World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia later this month.
With JDT choosing to go with an all-Malaysian starting side, Safee was in the middle of a dangerous front three with Amri on the right and Azniee Taib on the left. And it was former Pahang star Azniee, who put JDT ahead in the sixth minute.
After a mix-up in the Negeri Sembilan defence, the ball found its way to Azniee, whose audacious chip from outside the left side of the box caught goalkeeper Syed Adney flatfooted.
Six minutes later, the hosts doubled their lead. Gary Steven Robbat was brought down in the area by Mohd Shazlan Alias and referee Faruzi Mat Desa pointed to the spot. Amri, captain for the night, took the penalty. His former national teammate Adney guessed that Amri would go to the right but the ex-Selangor player hit it sweetly enough to make it 2-0.
By now, Johor were in cruise control, with Safee and Amri showing the understanding that playing for a decade together in national teams brings, with cute, short passes and darting runs.
A spectacular volley from outside the box from Safee in the 30th minute had the boisterous crowd on their feet, but it sailed over the bar. Meanwhile, Amri was showing that he still has the knack of gliding past defenders and getting into threatening positions.
Safee should have joined Amri on the scoresheet in the 69th minute when he went one-on-one with Adney, but the former Kelantan and Sabah keeper did well to make himself big and snuff out the danger.
2. Aussie imports cope with Negeri's brutal schedule
Much is expected from Negeri Sembilan this season, with four former A-League players recruited under Australian coach Gary Phillips. The experienced quartet was brought in last October even though the club's player budget was cut in half after Negeri offloaded the lavishly paid Liberian striker, Francis Forkey Doe.
Negeri have made a solid, if unspectacular, start to the Malaysia Premier League (MPL) season: one win, three draws, and, most importantly, no defeats, to sit only four points off the top of the table.
However, the match at Larkin was their sixth in 21 days, including four away games meaning 20 hours of bus journeys, and it showed in the opening exchanges. As Myanmar's Ayeyawady United found as they suffered an 8-1 defeat in the AFC Cup last month, JDT will show no mercy to opponents when they're in the mood at home.
But to their credit, Negeri fought hard to keep the match competitive and the scoreline respectable. After being partly responsible for giving the ball away for the first goal, captain Taylor Regan led by example, not holding back on the 50-50 challenges and winning almost everything in the air. His 24th minute sliding tackle on Azniee was hard, but fair, and seemed to give his teammates a lift.
Midfielder Alex Smith, formerly of Wellington Phoenix, playing in a deeper role than a true playmaker, threaded some intelligent passes as almost everything went through him.
But Negeri's lack of confidence in front of goal -- they've scored just five times in four league matches this season -- surfaced once again as gilt-edged opportunities to pull one back at 2-0 were missed by Joel Chianese (38th minute) and Mohd Norhafizzuan (44th). The latter was put through by a sublime outside of the foot pass by ex-Melbourne Victory winger Andrew Nabbout.
Nabbout produced a tireless performance and was rewarded with a well-taken goal in the 66th minute when he opened up his body and curled a right-footed shot past Mohd Izham Tarmizi.
Ahead of a return to the MPL action next week at home to struggling ATM FA, the visitors from Seremban will gain confidence from avoiding humiliation against one of Southeast Asia's most powerful clubs.
3. Mario Gomez's juggling act
With one eye on Wednesday's AFC Cup tie away to India's Bengalaru FC, JDT head coach Mario Gomez had the luxury of keeping his biggest names on the bench.
Brazilian central defender Marcos Antonio and Singapore central midfielder Hariss Harun weren't in the match day squad while both captain Safiq and Argentine striker Diaz came off the bench in the second half. Such are the riches of a first team squad of almost 30 international calibre players.
JDT director of sport Alistair Edwards has arranged for two friendly matches against a Japanese university XI later this month to give some inactive players a run.
Certainly, JDT are a more potent side when both Safiq and Diaz are on the field.
The pair combined in the 64th minute to put JDT 3-0 up when Safiq's floated pass from outside the box was met by Diaz's arrow-like header.
Diaz scored his second in added time to give a reminder to everyone -- including evergreen favourites like Safee and Amri and his rested countryman Juan Martin Lucero -- that he is now the main man at Larkin in the post-Luciano Figueroa era.
Gomez and his squad will fly from Singapore to India on Monday in the next step of their AFC Cup defence.