PETALING JAYA: A huge scoreline and a 20-year-old Daniesh Amirruddin may have hogged the headlines, but it was speedy Brazilian Marcus Guilherme (pic) who truly played at a level the opposition could not contain.
Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) thrashed PKR Svay Rieng 6-0 in their opening Group A match of the Shopee Cup Asean Club Championships at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Friday.
Daniesh, a product of the club’s youth academy, scored twice (78th and 86th minutes) in the space of just 10 minutes.
However, Guilherme was the instrumental figure on the left wing.
He set up fellow winger Arif Aiman Hanapi’s opener in the 38th minute before scoring his own with a superb finish in the 60th.
Colombian centreback Kevin Medina (also in the 60th) and Iranian striker Shahab Zahedi (69th) completed the rout.
Beyond his goal and assist, Guilherme constantly tormented the Svay Rieng defence with his pace and dribbling.
His runs from behind repeatedly caught them out, and he was always an option in the attacking third.
He was deservedly named man of the match, and the 31-year-old from Itarare, Brazil, expressed his joy over the Southern Tigers’ victory.
“Man of the match, I did not expect this at all,” said Guilherme.
“I’m very happy with this victory. I often discuss with the coach how to improve my game quality during training sessions, and as a result, I was able to make a positive impact for my teammates.
“The domestic and international league campaigns are still long, so we need physical and mental endurance.”
JDT coach Xisco Munoz credited the result to the thorough analysis done by him and his coaching staff.
“The analysis we conducted shows that the opposing team played with a different pattern compared to last season.
“We were ready to face them as they used a one-on-one marking tactic and tried to block the movement of JDT’s midfielders,” said Munoz.
The Southern Tigers will next shift their attention to the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite, where they take on South Korean side Pohang Steelers at the Pohang Steel Yard Stadium on Tuesday.
