Johor Darul Ta'zim returned to winning ways when they brushed aside Felda United 2-0 in the Malaysia FA Cup second round on Tuesday night, thanks to goals from Argentine imports Gonzalo Cabrera and Gabriel Guerra.
Victory also meant the defending Cup champions ended their three-game drought of failing to score over 90 minutes.
JDT were held to a 0-0 draw against Selangor in the league last Saturday, having lost 3-0 loss to Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League on Feb. 7.
The biggest result of the round came from Selayang Stadium, where Premier League leaders Negeri Sembilan toppled Selangor 4-3 on penalties after both sides had cancelled each other out in a goalless 120 minute stalemate.
Kedah, meanwhile, continued their phenomenal early-season form with a 4-2 thrashing of Kuala Lumpur, and Papua New Guinea forward Nigel Dabingyaba scored to earn struggling Penang a priceless 1-0 win over MPKB-BRI FC.
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At the Tun Abdul Razak Stadium, JDT's Benjamin Mora went with 4-3-3 formation away from home, and one of his most daring changes was to put Amirulhadi Zainal into central defence, along with Marcos Antonio.
Young midfielder Afiq Fazail was given a first start of the season, while Ahmad Hazwan Bakri led the firing line, flanked by Gabriel Guerra and Mahali Jasuli.
It was the home side who initiated the first decent opening through Norshahrul Idlan Talaha. But the former JDT striker horribly fluffed his lines from just outside the penalty box in the sixth minute.
The Southern Tigers, who had beaten their opponents 3-1 in the league last month, took the lead seven minutes later.
The Felda backline failed to deal with a corner, and the ball fell to Guerra on the top of the penalty box.
The new arrival steadied himself, and steered an effort through a crowd of players into the bottom corner for his debut goal in JDT colours.
Felda could have equalised in the 21st minute, but Gaston Cellerino's glaring miss would prove to be the first half's talking point.
A simple ball over the top eluded Antonio, and the former Celta Vigo loanee was through on goal.
But with Izham Tarmizi to beat, the Argentine managed to hit the base of the post from six yards out.
Mahali failed to test Farizal Harun from a good position, as JDT shaded the opening period.
Mora's men upped the tempo after the break. Guerra came close to securing his brace with a low effort from outside the box, equally matched by Farizal who palmed it away.
On 65 minutes, Cellerino thought he had levelled for Felda, but his goal was chalked off after a close offside call by the assistant referee.
JDT went on to seal the game 10 minutes from time, thanks to their other Argentine attacker Cabrera.
Mahali was the architect, gliding past a Felda defender before cutting back from Cabrera. The Argentine swiveled, and found the top corner for his second JDT goal.
Elsewhere, JDT II failed to follow their sister club into the third round after succumbing to a 4-2 loss to Super League side Pahang in another marathon 120 minutes. Other results saw Sarawak thump MISC-MIFA 6-3, while AirAsia-owned Petaling Jaya Rangers fell to a 2-1 defeat to UiTM in an earlier match.