Ex-Serie A man Fernando Forestieri netted a fine debut goal to help Johor Darul Ta'zim beat Kuala Lumpur City 3-0 on Saturday to claim the Community Shield, ahead of next week's start of the new Malaysia Super League campaign.
The victory also went some way in allowing JDT to avenge last year's shock Malaysia Cup final, which they were heavy favourites for only to fall to a 2-0 loss to Kuala Lumpur in November.
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Eager to show how ready they are for the 2022 season, JDT opened the scoring in the 26th minute when Arif Aiman broke free down the right and floated a cross onto the head of Nazmi Faiz, who made no mistake in scoring with a perfectly-guided header from right on the penalty spot.
Three minutes after the half-hour mark, Forestieri -- who was part of the Watford side that won Premier League promotion in 2015 and most recently featured for Udinese in Italy's top flight - announced his arrival with a moment of magic as he found space on the edge of the box and proceeded to send a sublime effort into the top corner.
And with six minutes remaining, Harimau Selatan sealed the win after a sweeping counterattack saw Kuala Lumpur fail to clear their lines, paving the way for Afiq Fazail to pounce on a loose ball and send a ferocious 20-yard half-volley into the back of the net.
Saturday's win marks JDT's fifth consecutive Community Shield victory and sets an early marker ahead of the new season, where they will be gunning for a 9th MSL crown in a row while also looking to make a bigger impact in the AFC Champions League, following two group-stage exits in the past three years.
