ACL Elite: JDT's Unbeaten Run Ends with 2-0 Defeat at Jeonbuk

Johor Darul Ta'zim suffered their first defeat of this season's AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) after losing 2-0 to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonju.

Both goals in the East Zone league-stage match came in the first half. JDT went into the game fourth in the table after two wins and a draw, with six goals scored and just one conceded, while Jeonbuk were 10th. The result leaves both sides on seven points from four matches.

Xisco Munoz named an unchanged starting line-up, with Arif Aiman and Shahab Zahedi leading the attack, while Kim Young-bin captained the hosts. JDT started brightly and forced a save from Jeonbuk goalkeeper Song Bum-keun inside four minutes. However, the K League 1 side went ahead in the 21st minute. They pressed JDT into an error, and Kim Jin-gyu crossed from the right for Mota, who was unmarked, to head past Syihan Hazmi. Mota has now scored in back-to-back ACLE matches.

JDT missed a golden chance to equalise in the 40th minute, and they were punished in first-half stoppage time. Syihan brought down Lee Dong-jun as he tried to win the ball, and Italo scored the penalty to make it 2-0 at the break.

The return of Figueiredo and Irazabal was the bright spot of the night for JDT. FIFA banned the pair for 12 months, along with five other players, over the use of falsified documents, and their suspensions ended on 1 November. Munoz had said before the match that he wouldn't rush them back, and he brought both on from the bench. Figueiredo replaced Jonathan Silva at the start of the second half, and Irazabal came on for Antonio Glauder in the 86th minute. JDT looked livelier after the break and finished with 16 shots to Jeonbuk's six, but Jeonbuk kept a clean sheet.

Munoz made no excuses. "We could not give a gift to the fans who travelled all the way to Korea to support us. We could not play our game," he said. He added that the cold weather was no excuse. "Jeonbuk is a strong opponent. Today Jeonbuk showed quality goals." Arif Aiman admitted that JDT had prepared for Jeonbuk's crosses and still conceded from one. "Before the match, we knew Jeonbuk like to play crosses, but the goal came from a cross," he said. "The second goal also came from a mistake, but this is football. Mistakes can happen."

JDT had far more shots, but Jeonbuk took their chances and punished both of JDT's mistakes. Only the top eight of the 16 East Zone teams reach the round of 16, so one defeat is no disaster for a side that has won 12 straight Malaysia Super League titles. However, as Arif Aiman said afterwards, JDT still have plenty to improve.

Credit Photo : AFC