ISKANDAR PUTERI – Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) opened a new chapter for Malaysian football after becoming the first local club to advance into the knockout stage of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League after beating Ulsan Hyundai FC 2-1 at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium this evening.
Hosts JDT took only five minutes to blaze ahead, thanks to a free kick by Leandro Velazquez, after Bergson Da Silva was brought down by Won Dujae.
Benjamin Mora’s men did not have time to celebrate, however, as the South Koreans replied almost immediately a minute after, equalising through an effort by Jun Amano.
The home team managed to find the back of the net again in the 24th minute, but Fernando Forestieri’s goal was ruled out by referee Nawaf Abdulla Shukralla for being offside.
Both teams then struggled to break the tie with the pressure building as the match progressed, but all attempts came to naught.
Finally, through a stroke of luck, JDT was gifted the win at the very last minute of the match, when South Korean midfielder Park Yong-Woo ended up scoring an own goal while trying to block a cross by Ariff Aiman Hanapi.
Meanwhile, at Tan Sri Hassan Yunos Stadium, Larkin Kawasaki Frontale from Japan recorded their third win to down last-placed Guangzhou FC 1-0. – Bernama, April 30, 2022
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