KAWASAKI: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) still have a long way to go in the Asian Champions League (ACL) before they can make an impact after falling short once again.
Three months ago, JDT emerged as the best Southeast Asian club and were ranked among the top 20 in Asia.
But on Tuesday, the Southern Tigers found themselves not in the league of Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale after suffering a crushing 5-0 loss in an ACL Group I match at the Todoroki Stadium.
Evidently, the gap is still wide compared to the continent's heavyweights.
JDT have been a regular in Asia's top tier ACL since 2019, and their best achievement was last season, where they reached the last 16 but lost 5-0 to eventual champions Urawa Red Diamonds.
JDT coach Esteban Solari said "lack of belief" was the reason for his men's heavy defeat and he admitted Kawasaki were in a different class.
"For us, it was a difficult night because we couldn't play the game we wanted to play," said Solari at a post-match press conference.
"It (the defeat) means we're out of the competition even though we have one more game.
"We had the confidence ahead of the game but we didn't play as we should have. Somewhere during the game, we lost that confidence."
Kawasaki got their goals through Akihiro Ienaga (eighth minute), Leandro Damiao (50th), Marcinho (60th), Yu Kobayashi (69th) and Miki Yamane (88th).
The defeat leaves JDT third in Group 1 with six points from five matches.
Kawasaki top the group with 15 points while Ulsan Hyundai are second with nine points. BG Pathum are bottom without a point.
JDT defender Jordi Amat conceded that the backline crumbled under Kawasaki's pressure as the Japanese side slammed in four goals in the second half.
"Congratulations to Kawasaki for playing well. We have to accept that we couldn't play our game although we tried. Kawasaki played a perfect game and scored at the right time.
"It's a painful defeat for us but we will learn from this match. I'm angry (with the result), we will study the match's footage."
JDT will end their ACL campaign with a match against Pathum at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Dec 12.