PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) must take the 2-2 draw against Cambodian side PKR Svay Rieng in the Asean Club Championship on Thursday as a lesson not to be complacent.
JDT travelled to Phnom Penh’s Morodok Techo National Stadium for their Group B clash and found themselves stunned after falling 2-0 behind through Cristian Roque’s 30th-minute strike and Nhean Sosidan’s goal in the 38th minute.
The team looked on the verge of defeat until Shane Lowry pulled one back in the 92nd minute and Corbin Ong’s (pic) header in the 96th minute secured a dramatic draw, allowing JDT to salvage a point.
Despite the comeback, coach Xisco Munoz was far from satisfied with his team’s performance and insisted that a packed league schedule should not be an excuse for lacklustre play.
“Nothing clicked in the first half, and I was disappointed. The players lifted their intensity in the second half, and had we had five more minutes of extra time, we could have taken the win. But that’s football, and we have to accept that we only took one point,” said Munoz.
“We need to learn from what happened in that game. There are many areas to improve, especially avoiding situations that put the team in danger. A busy domestic league and the Elite AFC Champions League schedule should not be used as an excuse for inconsistent performance.’’
Despite the draw, the result was enough for JDT to top Group B with seven points from three matches. However, their lead is slim, with Vietnamese club Nam Dinh close behind on six points.
PKR Svay Rieng sit in third place with four points, and only the top two teams will advance to the knockout stage.
“The draw is still a positive result and keeps us in contention for the semi-finals, but we still have two more matches — Shan United FC from Myanmar at home, followed by our final group clash against Thep Xanh Nam Dinh FC in Vietnam,” he added.
JDT will now shift their focus to the AFC Champions League, when they host Shanghai Port next Wednesday. A few days later, they will travel to Bukit Jalil Stadium to defend their FA Cup title against Sabah in the final on Sunday.
