Johor Darul Ta'zim have continued their dominance of Malaysian football after securing their 8th consecutive Malaysia Super League title with a 3-0 victory against Sri Pahang at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Friday.
A 16th win in their 20th game of the season means that the second-placed Terengganu, who face Kuala Lumpur City on Sunday, will not be able to catch up with the Southern Tigers even if they win all three of their remaining fixtures.
Johor are the most successful team in Malaysia with eight titles since the league trophy was introduced in 1982. Their dominant spell which only began in 2014 has seen them surpass the likes of Selangor and Pahang, who had six and five trophies respectively before JDT's rise.
Bergson da Silva, Johor's top scorer this season, struck his 21st goal of the domestic campaign to give the hosts an early lead. He then doubled JDT's lead in the 41st minute to become joint top-scorer in the competition alongside Selangor's Ifedayo Olusegun.
The Brazilian attacker then completed his hat-trick to all but ensure the Super League title is heading to Johor before the half-time break. JDT will wrap up their domestic campaign with matches against Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur next month.
JDT have amassed 51 points from 20 games, only suffering one defeat the whole season, while Terengganu have 37 points with a game in hand. Third-placed Pahang are two points behind the Turtles but have only played 17 times meaning the two will now battle for a berth in the 2022 AFC Cup.
The domestic title also sees Johor booking a place in the group stages of the 2022 AFC Champions League as the sole representatives of Malaysia. This will be their fourth appearance in Asia's premier club competition.
The Malaysian giants are yet to progress past the group stages of the Champions League in three attempts -- finishing third behind Nagoya Grampus and Pohang Steelers during their 2021 continental campaign.