KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 13 (Bernama) -- Marcos Guilherme scored two second-half goals to steer Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) to a 2-0 win over South Korea’s Pohang Steelers in their Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) East Zone match at the Pohang Steel Yard Stadium today.
Both teams went on the offensive in the first half, but it was JDT who nearly broke the deadlock when Shahab Zahedi 16th-minute piledriver struck the crossbar.
Pohang suffered a setback in the 43rd minute when skipper Jeon Min-gwang was sent off for a foul on a JDT player. However, Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi’s resulting freekick came to nothing.
JDT, coached by Xisco Munoz, came back after the breather refreshed. And it took them just four minutes after the restart to go 1-0 up as Guilherme, after receiving a pass Shahab, turned and unleashed a left-footed screamer to stun the home side.
The Southern Tigers, however, had to wait until the 89th minute to seal the victory, thanks again to Guilherme, who was the quickest to react to the rebound after the Pohang goalkeeper could only parry Bergson da Silva’s effort.
JDT, who opened their ACLE campaign with a 1-1 draw against Thai side Buriram United at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri on Sep 15, are now fifth with four points.
Japan’s Gamba Osaka lead the standings with six points, while five teams - Japan’s Kashima Antlers, China’s Shanghai Port FC and Beijing FC, JDT and South Korea’s Daejeon Hana Citizen FC - have four points each after two matches.
-- BERNAMA