KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) chances of advancing to the knockout stage of the 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League continue to drop after they lost 0-5 to Kawasaki Frontale in their fifth Group I match at Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium last night.
Four-time J1 League winners, Kawasaki Frontale has booked its place in the knockout round with the victory, having collected 15 points with one group match remaining.
The home team took only eight minutes to score their first goal, courtesy of Akihiro Ienaga, and continued to dominate play till the end of the first half.
Fresh from the halftime break, Kawasaki Frontale scored their second goal in the 50th minute after Leandro Damiao’s shot hit the post before going in, beating JDT keeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed.
The Japanese team then scored two goals in the space of nine minutes, first with a Marcinho header in the 60th minute followed by a goal by Yu Kobayashi to bring the scoreline to 4-0 before ending the match 5-0 with a goal by Miki Yamane in the 88th minute and retaining their unbeaten record.
Meanwhile, two-time champions Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea beat Thai club BG Pathum United 3-1 in the other Group I match last night.
After five matches, JDT is third with six points, while Ulsan Hyundai is second with nine, and BG Pathum United last without a single point.
JDT will play BG Pathum United at home in Iskandar Puteri while Ulsan Hyundai will meet Kawasaki Frontale in Ulsan on Dec 12 for the last group match. – BERNAMA
