ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 7 — Johor Darul Ta’zim’s (JDT) hopes of reaching the Asean Club Championship (ACC) final are in limbo following a 1-3 defeat to Thai club Buriram United in the first leg of the semi-finals at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium last night.

This home defeat puts the “Southern Tigers” in a difficult position, setting up a “mission impossible” task when they travel to Buriram Stadium, Thailand, for the return leg on May 13.

Playing in front of their home supporters, JDT only managed to score in the dying minutes of the match through Ager Aketxe, whose strike from a tight angle found the back of the net.

However, the home side’s joy was short-lived as Buriram United needed less than a minute to restore their two-goal cushion, with Guilherme Bissoli firing a powerful volley past goalkeeper Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, following a pass from Peter Zulj.

Earlier, Buriram United had established a comfortable two-goal lead in the first half when Guilherme Bissoli opened the scoring from a Sasalak Haiprakhon assist in the 33rd minute while Goran Causic doubled the lead with a diving header during stoppage time of the first half.

Throughout the match, the Southern Tigers, managed by Xisco Munoz, struggled to orchestrate effective attacks with one notable chance coming in the 25th minute from Ignacio Mendez, whose attempt only shook the side netting.

The second half was marred by tension, with the referee issuing yellow cards to JDT’s Oscar Arribas, as well as Buriram’s Supachai Chaided and Kenneth Dougall. A Buriram goal in the 54th minute was also disallowed for offside.

With the 3-1 result standing until the final whistle, JDT now faces the daunting task of needing to win by at least a three-goal margin in next week’s away fixture to revive their hopes of reaching the final. — Bernama