Buriram United FC moved a step closer to the knockout rounds of the AFC Champions League Elite as Guilherme Bissoli’s goal earned the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ title holders a 1-0 win over China’s Chengdu Rongcheng FC.
The Brazilian’s 50th minute strike secured Buriram United’s third win of the league phase to take the Thai League 1 champions up to fifth in the eastern standings with one round of matches remaining.
“We are really pleased with the result,” said Buriram United head coach Mark Jackson. “I’m delighted with what the players produced, it was a fantastic performance.
“We showed resilience and quality at the right moments and real unity and that’s what earned us the three points.
“Playing here in front of a big crowd in a big stadium always motivates our players and seeing our fans here added to the atmosphere. This is the kind of environment you want and we’re pleased we were able to perform.”
The first eight finishers in the 12-team group will advance to the last 16, which will be played in March, and Buriram United are three points clear of ninth-placed Ulsan HD ahead of their final group match against already-eliminated Shanghai Shenhua FC next week.
Johor Darul Ta’zim, meanwhile, sit in seventh following their 2-1 loss against Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
The Malaysia Super League side took the lead in the third minute in Hiroshima through Marcos Guilherme but a red card for handball on the goal line by Jonathan Silva on the quarter-hour mark gave the initiative to the home side.
Akito Suzuki equalised from the penalty spot three minutes later and then headed in the winner two minutes into the second half to confirm Hiroshima’s qualification for the next round.
JDT can still advance and take table toppers Vissel Kobe, who have already qualified, on Tuesday.
“One of the key moments that changed the game was the penalty and the red card. In matches of this level, small details are decisive, and losing a player makes controlling the game much more difficult,” said JDT coach Xisco Muñoz.
“Now we focus on the next match, recover as quickly as possible and continue supporting the players, because they are working very hard to earn points here.”
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