Johor Darul Ta’zim took a massive step toward the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26 quarter-finals, dismantling a shorthanded Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-1 in the Round of 16 First Leg at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, Iskandar Puteri.
In a match defined by a first-half red card and technical brilliance from JDT’s foreign legion, goals from Ager Aketxe, Bergson da Silva, and Marcus Guilherme put the Malaysian champions in the driver’s seat ahead of next week’s return leg in Japan.
The tone was set early when Hiroshima’s Korean defender Kim Joo-sung received his marching orders in the 26th minute. Already on a yellow, Kim’s flailing challenge on Nene earned him a second booking, leaving the J-League side to play over an hour with a numerical disadvantage.
JDT nearly capitalized immediately. Nacho Mendez rattled the woodwork with a 25-yard thunderbolt in the 32nd minute, and Joao Figueiredo saw a header clip the crossbar in first-half stoppage time as the “Southern Tigers” relentlessly hunted the opener.
The floodgates finally opened seven minutes after the restart. Following a partially cleared corner, Mendez turned provider, teeing up Ager Aketxe on the edge of the area. The Spaniard lived up to his reputation, curling an “unerring” strike past Keisuke Osako to break the deadlock.
In the 63rd Minute, Eddy Israfilov turned creator, cutting the ball back for Bergson, who coolly picked out the top corner from 12 yards out.
In the 85th Minute, after Figueiredo hit the post on a lightning counter, Marcus Guilherme finished off another rapid break to make it 3-0.
Just as JDT looked to have put the tie to bed, Hiroshima snatched a vital away goal in the 86th minute. A trademark long throw from Shuto Nakano caused chaos in the box, eventually deflecting off JDT’s Nene and past a helpless Andoni Zubiaurre.
JDT heads to Hiroshima next week with a two-goal cushion, knowing that an early away goal would likely extinguish Sanfrecce’s hopes. For the Japanese side, the mission is clear: score twice and keep a clean sheet—a tall order against a JDT side currently firing on all cylinders.
Credit Photo : Ridwan/SNE-Photo
