PETALING JAYA, Sept 26 — Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT)’s hopes of clinching their seventh consecutive Super League title early were dashed, after being held 2-2 by Petaling Jaya (PJ) City FC at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium, last night.

Playing in the heavy rain for almost 90 minutes, the Southern Tigers squad opened the scoring through prolific national striker Safawi Rasid in the 35th minute, but the home team equalised just two minutes later through D. Christie Jayaseelan.

K. Devan’s side then took the lead when K. Gurusamy converted a penalty in the 45th minute after JDT goalkeeper Mohd Farizal Marlias brought down Brazilian import striker Washington Brandao in the box.

Benjamin Mora’s JDT, however, got one back in injury time of the first half through a penalty kick by Argentine import Gonzalo Cabrera after Safawi was fouled.

Meanwhile, Perak managed to leapfrog to second place in the standings after thrashing Felda United FC 5-1 at the Perak Stadium, Ipoh.

National striker Muhammad Shahrel Fikri Md. Fauzi emerged as the team’s hero, scoring four goals for the Bos Gaurus squad (17th, 46th, 69th and 85th minutes), with another coming from Guilherme De Paula in the 52nd minute, while the visitors only goal was scored by Nicolas Leandro Velez in the 62nd minute.

JDT remains top of the Super League with 23 points after nine matches with two games remaining, followed by Perak (17 points) and Kedah (16 points). However, the positions may change after Pahang play Kedah at the Darul Makmur Stadium, tomorrow.

The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), meanwhile, were relegated to the Premier League next season after being thrashed 4-0 by Terengganu FC at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Kuala Terengganu, courtesy of braces from Muhammad Faris Ramli (seventh and 74th minutes) and Lee Tuck (25th and 45th minutes).

Premier League side Kuala Lumpur confirmed their promotion to the Super League by beating Selangor 2, 5-4 at the Cheras Football Stadium to be in second place, behind only on goal difference to leaders Penang.

At the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi, Kuching FA defeated hosts Negri Sembilan 4-2, while Kelantan recorded a narrow 1-0 victory over Sarawak United at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Baru. — Bernama