KUALA LUMPUR: Safiq Rahim came off the bench to convert two penalties in the second half as Johor Darul Ta'zim secured a third straight win in the AFC Cup by beating Lao Toyota 3-0 in Johor Baru on Wednesday.
Amri Yahyah added another goal in stoppage-time in a Group H match which saw both teams reduced to 10 men at the Larkin Stadium.
The victory allowed defending champions Darul Ta'zim to open a six-point gap over the other three teams in the group after India's Bengaluru defeated Ayeyawady United 1-0 in Yangon in an earlier game.
"I'm very proud of my players," Darul Ta'zim coach Mario Gomez told Fox Sports.
"We did not have many chances in the first half because Lao defended well and we could not go in but in the second half, after the penalty it was easier for us."
Gomez fielded an entirely new midfield four and front two from their last match on Sunday and the hosts struggled to break down the visitors for an hour.
A red card was shown to Lao Toyota defender Takahiro Saito, a harsh dismissal after a goal-bound header by Safee Sali struck Saito's arm as he turned his back on the ball.
Substitute Safiq, who came on just minutes earlier for Nazrin Nawi, sent the penalty beyond the dive of goalkeeper Vathana Keodouangdeth.
The numbers were evened on 70 minutes when Darul Ta'zim right-back S. Kunanlan was sent off for a second booking but Safiq then converted another penalty four minutes later for his sixth goal of the competition after S. Chanturu was felled in the box.
Amri finished expertly in added-time to put a gloss on the final result.
With a maximum nine points from three games, Darul Ta'zim will secure a spot in the quarter-finals by beating Lao Toyota in the reverse fixture on April 13.
On Tuesday, Selangor secured their first win of the competition by beating Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi 4-3 in a Group E match in Dhaka.