PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim were left disappointed after suffering a 2-1 defeat away to Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their Asian Champions League Elite Group A match on Tuesday (Feb 10).
The match at the Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima saw JDT make a bright start when Marcos Guilherme struck as early as the third minute.
However, things began to unravel for JDT after Jonathan Silva handled the ball inside his own penalty area in the 16th minute in an attempt to prevent it from crossing the goal line.
The referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty to Sanfrecce, and Akito Suzuki calmly beat JDT goalkeeper Andoni Zubiaurre to level the score at 1-1.
The hosts did not take long to go ahead, as just two minutes into the second half, Akito once again proved a thorn in JDT’s side by heading the ball into the net to give Sanfrecce a 2-1 lead in the 47th minute.
Reduced to 10 men, Xisco Munoz’s side found it difficult to stay competitive, and the scoreline remained unchanged until the final whistle.
