KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 – Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) was hit again at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok – suffering a 2-0 defeat to Pohang Steelers in a second-round Group G match on the AFC Champions League on Thursday.
The defeat to the Korean club came in the wake of a 4-1 thrashing in a first-round match at the same venue on Monday.
It was a pathetic show by the Southern Tigers who were expected to be front runners in the AFC Champions League this year after pulling out of the competition last year due to the covid pandemic.
The back-to-back second defeat to Pohang Steelers has not only put a dent in the Malaysian football kingpins but has also seriously affected their hopes of advancing to the last 16.
JDT has two more matches to go in the second round – against Nagoya Grampus (Japan) and Ratchaburi FC of Thailand.
International Safawi Rasid, whose form has taken a dip of late, struck the left upright after 16 minutes from a freekick from outside the box. That was about the only spark from JDT as they fizzled out as the match progressed.
Pohang Steelers could have scored a bigger win but were stopped by some poor finishing or by JDT goalkeeper Farizal Marlias. Still, he could not stop Pohang Steelers from a win with Lee Seung-mo (33rd) and Kang Sang-woo (37th) scoring the two goals.
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