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Amri Yahyah and Nazrin Nawi both bagged doubles to revive the Malaysia Cup hopes of Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT), as the Southern Tigers ran out 4-1 winners over PDRM FA in Group C's penultimate encounter at Larkin Stadium on Saturday night. The victory was JDT's first in the 2016 edition after three draws and one defeat in their previous four games. Head coach Mario Gomez rejigged his lineup from the 1-1 draw against Perak on Wednesday. Captain Safiq Rahim was benched, while Argentina duo Juan Martin Lucero and Jorge Pereyra Diaz did not even make the team list in a raft of changes. In their places, in came the likes of Shakir Shaari, Nawi, young defender Dominic Tan and Yahyah. It took 23 minutes for the home side to get off the mark, courtesy of Yahya. The veteran forward doubled their advantage seven minutes later to put JDT in the driving seat. Interestingly, all six of Yahyah's goals this season have come when he started the match instead of entering off the bench. Ex-Selangor star Guilherme De Paula gave PDRM a lifeline in first-half injury time, but Nawi restored their two-goal advantage in the 57th minute to become the club's 13th individual scorer this season. Four minutes later, the pacey winger made it 4-1 to round off an enjoyable evening for the Larkin faithful. But PKNS FC will stand in the way of JDT's quest for a knockout berth when they host the Southern Tigers in a winners-take-all encounter on Aug 20. PKNS sit behind PDRM on goal difference after a 2-1 victory over Perak, courtesy of strikes from Juan Manuel Cobelli and Mathias Jude. Perak still top Group C on seven points along with PDRM and PKNS, with JDT just a point behind. T-Team, meanwhile, leapfrogged Kedah at the top of Group A after a 1-0 win over the Canaries, courtesy of Abdoulaye Maiga's winner. That result eliminated Sarawak and JDT II, who played to a 1-1 draw in Kuching. The final round of the group stages will play out on Aug. 19 and 20, with three spots in the quarterfinals still up for grabs.
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