Coach Mario Gomez hailed the improvement of the local players in the Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) squad, despite their elimination from the 2016 Malaysia Cup, after being held to a draw against second tier PKNS FC.
The 1-1 result at Shah Alam Stadium on Saturday night sent PKNS through to the last eight at the expense of their opponents, along with PDRM FA, who exiled Perak 2-0.
Gomez fielded a team shorn of their entire foreign legion, giving an opportunity to young defenders Dominic Tan and Hasbullah Abu Bakar, with veteran striker Safee Sali also given a rare start upfront, alongside Amri Yahyah.
Safee equalised just before half-time after Matias Jude had given PKNS a second minute lead.
The result left JDT bottom of Group C with seven points from six matches, with only one victory.
"Well done to my players. We were playing away without any foreigners and we drew. It's fantastic. Now we can work towards our objective and I'm pleased to see improvements with my local players," Gomez said. "This club has potential to be improved every year."
#TMPialaMalaysia2016 Road to final! pic.twitter.com/HEZ77rf1PT
- Football Malaysia (@footballmasllp) August 20, 2016
The Argentine, along with their Johor Crown Prince owner, had made clear his intentions in prioritising the Malaysia Super League (MSL) and AFC Cup over the Malaysia Cup, which doesn't offer a slot to the regional tournament.
Exiting the Malaysia Cup gives Gomez the opportunity to focus on the league and seal a third consecutive league title.
Holding a four-point lead at the top, JDT will travel to play Felda United in a top of the table clash on Wednesday, with victory almost certain to secure the title.
Besides that, the defending AFC Cup champions have also made the quarterfinals of the Asian tournament, and will take on Hong Kong's South China in a two-legged affair on Sep. 13 and 20.
The Malaysia Cup last eight will see Kedah facing Negeri Sembilan, Felda playing T-Team, PDRM taking on Kelantan and PKNS with a date against Selangor.
The first leg quarterfinals of the Cup take place on Aug. 27-28, with the return leg due on Sep. 17-18.