"It Can't Be an Excuse" – Xisco Muñoz Refuses to Blame Cold Weather

Johor Darul Ta'zim head coach Xisco Munoz refused to hide behind the weather after his side's unbeaten run in the AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27 came to an end in South Korea. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors beat the Southern Tigers 2-0 at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonju.

In the fourth round of the East Zone league stage. Mota headed the hosts in front in the 22nd minute, and Italo doubled the lead from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time.

Korean media were quick to point to the conditions. OSEN, whose reporter was at the stadium, wrote that the cold weather "turned out to be poison" for JDT, who started nine foreign players from countries including Spain, Brazil and Argentina. According to OSEN, captain Arif Aiman and goalkeeper Syihan Hazmi were the only Malaysians in the starting XI. Whatever their passports, JDT's players spend their season in Malaysia's tropical heat, so a cold autumn evening in Jeonju was always going to be a different kind of test.

Munoz, however, wasn't interested in that argument. "It can't be an excuse," he said when asked about the cold. "Nine of our players were foreigners, but that's not an excuse. Jeonbuk are a strong opponent. Today Jeonbuk showed quality goals. They were more dangerous than us."

The Spaniard's first thoughts were with the supporters who had made the long trip. "We couldn't give a gift to the fans who came all the way to Korea to support us. We couldn't play our game," he said. "Champions League matches are tougher. We had to be better. We weren't as good as our opponents in the battle for second balls." He stressed that his players had given everything and had been well prepared. "Yesterday I explained what Jeonbuk achieved last year and what kind of team they are, and the players followed that to a certain extent," he said. "But the opponent was too strong."

Both goals came from moments JDT will want to forget. In the 22nd minute, Jeonbuk's aggressive pressing forced JDT into an error. The hosts won the ball, and Kim Jin-gyu crossed from the right for Mota to head past Syihan. Arif Aiman admitted afterwards that JDT had seen it coming. "Before the match, we knew Jeonbuk liked to play crosses, but the goal came from a cross," he said. Then, in first-half stoppage time, Lee Dong-jun went down inside the box after a challenge from Syihan, and Italo converted the penalty to make it 2-0 at the break. Jeonbuk weren't content with two goals. In the 65th minute, they replaced Mota and Kang Sang-yoon with Lee Young-jae and Tiago to chase a third, while goalkeeper Song Bum-keun had to dive to stop a JDT free-kick.

On paper, JDT were far from outclassed. According to the match statistics, they had 57% of the ball and 22 attempts to Jeonbuk's 11. That's what makes Munoz's admission that Jeonbuk were "more dangerous" so telling. JDT had the ball and the shots, but Jeonbuk had the quality in both boxes. Munoz said as much himself. "As I said, the result didn't come, but this will be a chance for us to learn," he said. "At certain points we controlled the tempo and had the initiative, but we couldn't turn good chances into goals. The stronger the opponent, the more you have to take your chances against teams like that."

For the Korean press, the result meant more than three points. Before kick-off, MHN Sports said "K League pride" was at stake against a JDT side unbeaten in Asia this season, and another Korean report described the Southern Tigers as a "K League nemesis". JDT had beaten Pohang Steelers 2-0 on 12 October, and Tuesday's defeat was their first against a K League side this season. When the final whistle went, OSEN declared that Jeonbuk had "restored the K League's pride". It's a sign of how seriously JDT are now taken in Korea.

Munoz accepted there's still a gap to close. "We did well too, but we should have controlled the situation better," he said. "We have to improve a lot of things against Korean teams. We have to play for our country and our fans."

There are clear positives for JDT to take home. They went toe-to-toe with the defending K League champions away from home, controlled long spells of the match and remain on seven points after four rounds. Joao Figueiredo and Jon Irazabal also came off the bench for their first competitive appearances since serving 12-month FIFA suspensions, which gives Munoz more options for the rest of the league stage. However, the defeat also exposed the weaknesses Munoz pointed to. JDT gave the ball away under pressure for the first goal, conceded a costly penalty for the second, lost too many second balls and lacked a cutting edge in front of goal. Against a side of Jeonbuk's quality, as Munoz put it, those details decide matches.

His refusal to blame the weather sends the right message, too. Pointing to the cold might have softened the blow, but it would have ignored what the numbers showed: JDT created enough chances to score and didn't take them. By owning the result, Munoz keeps the focus on the things his team can control.

He also insisted the defeat won't knock JDT off course. "Our team is still strong," he said. "We will give our best in the next match so that we can reach the final." The Southern Tigers lost their unbeaten record in Jeonju, but they're still very much in the race for the knockout stage. If they start turning possession and chances into goals, as Munoz demanded, Tuesday's cold night could prove a valuable lesson rather than a turning point.

Credit Photo : AFC