PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) finally picked up their first win in this season’s AFC Champions League Elite after beating China’s Chengdu Rongcheng on Tuesday (Oct 21).
The Southern Tigers made a strong start at the Phoenix Hill Sports Park Football Stadium in Sichuan, taking the lead as early as the fifth minute through Oscar Arribas, who beat Chengdu goalkeeper Liu Dianzuo.
JDT continued to pile on the pressure in search of a second goal, but the score remained 1-0 at the break.
In the second half, coach Xisco Munoz brought on defender Shane Lowry to replace Eddy Israfilov, who had picked up an injury late in the first half.
Nacho Mendez then made it 2-0 for JDT in the 62nd minute, and the score stayed that way until the final whistle.
The win lifted JDT to fifth place in the AFC Champions League East standings with four points.
They would next face Brunei DPMM FC on Oct 25.
