KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) suffered their first defeat in the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE), losing 3-1 to South Korea's Gwangju FC at the Yongin Mireu Stadium today.
A quick brace from Jasir Asani in the third and sixth minutes on a rain-soaked pitch left the Southern Tigers dazed before Feroz Baharudin pulled one back in the 28th minute.
Super League champions JDT's hopes of salvaging a draw from the hard-fought match were dashed after South Korean defender Park Jun Heong scored an own goal in the 88th minute.
Albanian international Asani, the only foreign player in Gwangju's starting lineup, showcased his predatory instincts with a strike inside the box for the opener and notched his second after intercepting a pass from Feroz and firing past JDT goalkeeper Andoni Zubiaurre.
The 29-year-old midfielder now leads the goalscoring charts with six goals from three matches.
Stunned by Asani's quick brace, JDT doubled their efforts to get back into the game. Defender Feroz somewhat redeemed his earlier mistake with a close-range header from Juan Muniz's cross to make it 2-1.
Both teams pressed for more goals but couldn't find the breakthrough before disaster struck JDT when Jun Heong scored an own goal.
The win leaves Gwangju as the East Region group leaders with nine points from three matches, while JDT are expected to slide down the standings after collecting four points.
JDT will aim to bounce back in their next match when they host another Korean side, Ulsan Hyundai, at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium on Nov 5.