KUALA LUMPUR: Arif Aiman Hanapi made it three goals in two Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) matches after his opening effort sent Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) on their way to a 3-0 success against Shanghai Shenhua at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Tuesday.
The forward once again set the stage alight, building on his brace against Shanghai Port in the opening game, but the 22-year-old is determined to ensure this isn't a temporary peak for him.
"After the (ankle) injury, my performance was a bit up and down, but the coaches are always supportive, and I managed to regain my confidence. I just want to do my best for the team in every match," said Arif.
"Every match is important for me, whether domestic or continental. I always prepare myself well because I want to enjoy every moment.
"I'm still young, so it's on me to keep working hard. It's not easy to be in this competition where you face Asia's best teams."
Arif struck an 11th-minute opener before Jorge Obregon doubled JDT's lead 15 minutes later, with Juan Muniz capping a dominant performance with a sumptuous free-kick late in the second half.
With four points in the bag, JDT coach Hector Bidoglio feels his side have left a big marker on the competition.
"I am very happy today because the players produced a great performance," said Bidoglio.
"JDT played as a team, and we showed our potential.
"We showed that we are improving and can be one of the big teams in Asia. Today, we managed to build on the point we got away (in the first game)."
Shenhua coach Leonid Slutskiy felt his side were below par due to mitigating circumstances, failing to build on the opening day win against Pohang Steelers.
"Unfortunately for us, our opponents deserved this win," lamented Slutskiy.
"I have already told the players we have to be more competitive in this competition.
"However, we were not physically good coming into this game, and it impacted us. We couldn't create many chances today." - AFC