PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim fell to their second defeat in the AFC Champions League Elite, going down 2-0 to Melbourne City at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Australia on Tuesday (Nov 25).
Melbourne struck almost immediately, taking the lead in the second minute when striker Max Caputo turned in a corner from Takeshi Kanamori.
After that early setback, it was largely JDT who dictated the tempo.
The Southern Tigers enjoyed more than 55% possession and carved out 23 chances compared to Melbourne’s 11, yet lacked the finishing touch when it mattered.
Their clearest opportunity arrived in the 79th minute – and it should have produced the equaliser.
Wingback Raul Parra sent in a low cross across the face of goal, bypassing the entire Melbourne defence, leaving Jairo Da Silva with a simple tap-in.
But the Brazilian astonishingly rattled the crossbar, allowing goalkeeper Patrick Beach to gather the loose ball.
JDT created two big chances throughout the match and failed to convert both, with Jairo’s miss proving the most costly.
Melbourne then sealed the result deep into stoppage time when substitute winger Medin Memeti weaved past two defenders before blasting the ball beyond Andoni Zubiaurre to make it 2-0.
JDT will now shift their attention towards the FA Cup semi-final second leg, where they will take on Kuching City at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Saturday (Nov 29).
