ISKANDAR PUTERI, Johor: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) booked their place in the round of 16 after edging Vissel Kobe 1-0 in their final AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) East Zone match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium here on Tuesday night.
The Southern Tigers wasted no time testing the visitors’ defence, with Bergson Da Silva firing a long-range effort in the second minute, but his attempt was parried away by goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda.
JDT continued to press and came close again in the 13th minute when Antonio Cristian Glauder latched onto a pass from Bergson, only for Gonda to deny them once more.
The Japanese side responded through Jean Patric Reis in the 20th minute, but his low drive from outside the box was safely dealt with by JDT custodian, Andoni Zubiaurre Dorronsoro, while Mitsuki Hidaka went close a minute later but saw his close-range effort go wide.
JDT thought they had broken the deadlock in the 39th minute when Nene’s low strike beat Gonda and found the net, but the goal was ruled out following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review that adjudged him to be offside.
The home side suffered the same fate after the restart when Marcos Guilherme’s effort in the 55th minute was also disallowed for offside after another VAR check.
Vissel Kobe, coached by Michael Skibbe, nearly stunned the hosts in the 71st minute through Kento Hamasaki, but his shot crashed against the post.
JDT finally found the breakthrough two minutes later when Guilherme drilled a low shot past Gonda in the 73rd minute to give the hosts the lead.
Both teams continued to create dangerous chances, but the scoreline remained unchanged until the final whistle.
The win saw Xisco Munoz’s men climb to sixth place with 11 points, after recording three wins, two draws and three defeats. – BERNAMA
