KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) created their own piece of history after advancing to the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) 2025/26 following a 3-2 aggregate victory over Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Wednesday.
This marks the best achievement by a Malaysian club since the tournament was rebranded in 2023.
On Wednesday, the second-leg Round of 16 match of the ACLE at Edion Peace Wing Stadium in Hiroshima, Japan, ended 1-0 in favour of the home side.
The first half saw the hosts repeatedly attacking JDT’s defence in search of a goal to reduce the deficit.
However, the resilience of JDT’s defence ensured that no goals were scored, with the first half ending goalless.
Entering the second half, Hiroshima continued to struggle to find a goal as their attacks were frequently thwarted by the JDT defence.
However, the home side were awarded a penalty towards the end of the match after the ball struck JDT midfielder, Nene.
The opportunity was not wasted by Hiroshima as Kosuke Kinoshita calmly converted the penalty to hand the hosts a 1-0 win.
However, the victory was not enough to see Hiroshima advance to the quarter-finals after losing 3-2 on aggregate. – BERNAMA
