It should be an easy home win for Johor DT, remind that Lions XII lack experienced overall other than Shahril Ishak and Baihakki Khaizan for instance, but the home side surprisingly struggled to put their local rivals away.
Lions XII have an early lead through the 22-year-old midfielder Hariss Harun who received the ball from captain Shahril Ishak and fired the volley to the back of the net in the 4th minute. Lions XII continue to mount the pressure to the home side as Johor struggled to contain the Singaporean side. Johor equalised through a glancing header from Simone Del Nero who found a cross from Nurul Azwan Roya in the 15th minute. Lions XII have a lead again, this time through a set-piece from Shahril Ishak which met the head of Baihakki Khaizan in the 37th minute to make it 2-1 until the end of the first half.
The Southern Tiger pushed hard since the start of the second half, trying to get the equaliser and possibly a winner in the match. But the home side were irritated by the Lions' stubborn and encouraging defending to deny any possibility for Johor DT. Their patience were rewarded though, as sensational striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha produced a magnificent strike just outside of the box to earn and finish the match with a 2-2 draw. It was a valuable point for the away side as they retained the second placed in the table while the scoreline spare the blushes for the home side as they moved to fourth in the table. Fandi Ahmad himself were not pleased with his players' attitude, pointing that they were not playing as a team and wondered of his side's mentality. Johor DT has improved since the famous defeat at the hands of Pahang in the first match of the 2013 season, in which they are currently unbeaten in six matches in a row.
Next, Johor DT will face Felda United away at Kelana Jaya Stadium on February 22.