No smooth passage: Johor Darul Ta’zim’s Oscar Arribas tries to break free from a Chengdu Rongcheng player during their AFC Champions League Elite match in Sichuan on Tuesday. — Johor Southern Tigers Facebook
PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) had to dig deep for their first win in the AFC Champions League Elite despite the 2-0 scoreline against Chengdu Rongcheng in Sichuan on Tuesday.
Head coach Xisco Munoz admitted it was a tough 90 minutes at The Phoenix Hill Sports Park Football Stadium as his players had to cope not only with the opponents’ solid tactics but also with difficult pitch and weather conditions.
To make matters more challenging, their opponents are no pushovers — Chengdu Rongcheng are currently second in the Chinese Super League behind leaders Shanghai Port.
However, an early strike from Oscar Arribas in the fifth minute and a second-half effort from Nacho Mendez in the 62nd sealed all three points for the Southern Tigers, making the win even sweeter as Arribas celebrated his 28th birthday the following day.
“It’s never easy to beat Chengdu Rongcheng here. But today, the players adapted well to the conditions and did what they needed to do to win.
“Winning 2-0 against a strong team with quality players and passionate fans is never easy,” said Munoz.
Man of the match Arif Aiman Hanapi was equally relieved, saying the slippery pitch made it difficult for him and his teammates to play their usual game.
“We put aside all the challenges, including the wet and slippery pitch. Our main mission was to win. Credit to all my teammates for giving 100 per cent in terms of effort and discipline.
“Now, we want to maintain this momentum ahead of our home match against Shanghai Shenhua on Nov 5,” said Arif.
The victory lifted JDT to fifth place in Group A with four points from three matches.
