JDT stun champions Kashima to revive hopes

It was a historic day for Malaysian football in the AFC Champions League yesterday.

Reigning Super League winners Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) achieved a significant first for Malaysia by edging defending champions Kashima Antlers of Japan 1-0 in a Group E match at the Larkin Stadium in Asia’s biggest club competition.

Forward Syafiq Ahmad was the toast with a solo effort in the 69th minute.

With the win, JDT have collected four points and the former AFC Cup champions now have an outside chance of qualifying for the next stage.

JDT are still bottom of the table, one point behind South Korea’s Gyeongnam FC. China’s Shandong Luneng who lead with 11 points have already qualified for the next stage with Kashima at second with seven points.

In the final round on May 22, JDT need to beat Gyeongnam by a healthy margin in an away match and hope that Kashima lose to Shandong at home.

Meanwhile, Emirati club Al Wahda rallied from a goal down to beat Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv 3-1 and storm into the last 16 of the AFC Champions League on Tuesday.

Tashkent-based Lokomotiv had beaten Al Wahda in all their three previous clashes and it appeared that would be the case once again when Temurkhuja Abdukholikov put the visitors ahead in the 47th minute after a gritty first half in the Group B match failed to produce any goals.

Abdukholikov’s powerful header off a whipped cross from the right from Arslanmurat Amanov beat Al Wahda goalkeeper Mohamed al-Shamsi, stunning the home spectators into silence.

But Al Wahda got lucky in the 60th minute as they equalised through Igor Jelic’s own goal.

Brazilian Leonardo da Silva made it 2-1 from the spot in the 77th minute with his eighth goal of the tournament so far.

The hosts sealed their fourth straight victory in the first minute of added time through Khalil Ibrahim.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad also advanced to the knockout stage with a 2-0 win over Qatar’s Al Rayyan in Doha.