THE 2021 M-League season will live long in the memories of KL City fans as coach Bojan Hodak guided the club to their first Malaysia Cup crown since 1989.
And they did it in style on Tuesday by overcoming mighty Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) 2-0 in front of 20,000-odd fans at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil in the 100th-year of the competition.
Zhafri Yahya (66th minute) and captain Paulo Josue's (74th) second-half goals were enough to embarrass the star-studded Southern Tigers.
JDT did play well, and things could have been different had they scored in the ninth minute. However, Bergson da Silva was unlucky as his powerful attempt could only rattle the KL post.
KL's patient game frustrated their opponents, who eventually lost the plot in the second half.
KL's success proves that a club do not need a big budget to become champions in Malaysian football.
With a budget of around RM10 million, they did better than JDT, Selangor, Terengganu and Kedah in the competition.
However, KL fans should thank Hodak's tactical brilliance, whose strategies turned his players into well-oiled machines in the Malaysia Cup.
Although Romel Morales did not score in the final, he was the top scorer with 10 goals, while Zhafri was named man-of-the-match.
However, goalkeeper Kevin Mendoza was the unsung hero of KL as the Philippines-born denied JDT from scoring on many occasions.
For Hodak, it was his second Malaysia Cup victory as coach after his success with Kelantan in 2012, while Shukor Adan, a late substitute, received a grand farewell with a fifth career title.
The 42-year-old Shukor has announced his retirement and will resume as a coach at KL.
Hodak had spent many days before the final analysing JDT's possible strategies to help in his team's preparation.
The Croatian admitted it was strange to win the Malaysia Cup with KL as he had turned down two offers from the City Boys last year.
He thanked KL chief executive officer Stanley Bernard for convincing him to take up the job this season.
"It is one of my greatest matches as a coach. There are no superstars in my team but they showed desire and hunger to win something. They had worked very hard for this victory," said Hodak on Tuesday.
"JDT came into the match as the favourites. Of course, they were the favourites as they have the best players in the country.
"As a team, KL were struggling at the beginning of the Super League. However, after making some changes, we improved a lot in the second half of the season.
"Once you start winning, you become more confident, and in turn, it will make your team stronger. We were confident in the final. However, luck also played a small role today (Tuesday)."
With the win, KL, who ended their Malaysia Cup campaign without losing a match, will play in the AFC Cup next season. The last time KL had featured in an Asian club competition was in the 1989-90 season.
Meanwhile, JDT coach Benjamin Mora said his team were not at their usual level but were confident going into the final.
"I don't think we were overconfident. We were focused and motivated to win the title. Of course, things could have been better during the match.
"I had told my players at half-time to increase their tempo as KL were comfortable with their style of not pressing for goals. Hodak's side waited for us to make mistakes to punish us.
"We had the possession but not the goals. I think my team had controlled the match," said Mora, who is now at risk of losing his job following the defeat.
Mora said: "It is beyond my control. I am not the one who makes that decision.
"If at some point the management think that's the solution, they will let me know," he added.