Both the teams will once again face each other in the second leg of the match next Wednesday.
Buriram United FC coach Mark Jackson said he never doubted his team’s ability to claim a positive result in the first leg of their ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ semi-final clash with Johor Darul Ta’zim FC after securing a 3-1 win on Wednesday.
Guilherme Bisoli scored twice for the defending champions in Johor to give the Thai League 1 team a two-goal lead ahead of the second leg between the teams in Buriram next Wednesday.
“I always believe in my team and that they can win football matches and especially big games, so I had full confidence in the team and the squad,” the Englishman said.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game here in front of a good crowd and a good team, but I believe that my football team can win the game and I was confident about that tonight.
“Throughout the game we showed excellent discipline, the work rate of the players and the players’ understanding of the way we wanted to play.
“My players showed great resilience and quality throughout the game. I’m really happy but we understand it’s only halftime. So we have to stay focused and be ready for the next game.”
Buriram took a two-goal lead by the end of the first half through goals from Bisoli and Goran Kausic, but in the 92nd minute Eger Akteks’ mis-hit cross flew over Neil Etheridge to halve the deficit, with Bisoli retaking the lead two minutes later with a superb volley.
“We bounced back right away,” Jackson said of his team’s reaction to Acatexa’s goal. “It’s the character of the team, it’s the resilience of the team. Even in that moment with two or three minutes left in the game it could have been very frustrating for the team.
“It’s an important moment, but I’ve got strong characters in this team. We’ve got strong belief. We work together and we managed to get a two-goal lead again. We’re happy with the result but we know it’s only half time and we’ll be ready to go again.”
JDT coach Xisco Munoz was disappointed with the result as the Malaysia Super League side suffered their third defeat at the hands of Buriram United in five meetings between the clubs in all competitions in the last 18 months.
He said, “We are saddened by the result and we can apologize to our fans because it is true that they had more success than us.” “That’s the difference in the game.
“We tried to control the game but football, at the end of the day, is about who has the ability to score more. The incredible thing is that they took three shots and they scored three goals. Sometimes life is difficult but in these circumstances we need to learn.
“There are certain situations with ups and downs in football. It’s a game. We need to focus on the next game. It’s normal that everyone is sad because we never lose. Sometimes it’s hard to understand.”
