Johor Darul Ta’zim secured their first win of the AFC Champions League Elite when the Malaysian side overcame 10-man FC Pohang Steelers 2-0 at the Steelyard.
Marcos Guilherme struck in the 49th minute after Steelers’ skipper Jeon Min-gwang was sent off on the stroke of half time, and added another a minute before the end of regulation time to send the home side to their second defeat.
Steelers flew out the gates, but failed to really get their attacks together in the opening minutes, and their unfocused efforts allowed JDT to gradually find their game legs.
While Steelers’ Wanderson’s shot from distance was easily collected by keeper Syihan Hazmi in the 13th minute, JDT’s Shahab Zahedi came closer to an opening goal two minutes later, only for the striker to drag his shot past the right post.
JDT’s Kevin Medina thought he scored when he headed into an empty net in the 32nd minute, but the goal was disallowed for a foul by Zahedi on keeper Hong Seong-min.
The Malaysian outfit continued to give the home side a tough time as Seong-min made two easy saves from Jonathan Silva and then pulled off a harder one from Zahedi’s blistering shot from the left in the 42nd minute.
With the match seemingly headed into the break goalless, JDT were awarded a penalty after Min-gwang brought down Zahedi two minutes before the breather. The penalty was changed to a free-kick following a VAR review, but Min-gwang’s yellow card was upgraded to a red, leaving Steelers without their captain for the second half.
The visitors made maximum use of their numerical advantage four minutes into the restart when Guilherme, picking up Zahedi’s through ball, shrugged off his marker and drilled the ball between Seong-min’s legs from the left of the six-yard box.
Former Asian champions Steelers did well to soak up the JDT pressure, and ranged upfront sporadically in search of an equaliser, with Juninho’s low shot forcing a diving save from Syihan in the 75th minute.
Guilherme put the match beyond Steelers’ reach in the 89th minute when he pounced on a parry from Seong-min off a Bergson strike, evaded the defence and drove the ball into an empty net past the custodian’s prone form.
