KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) coach Esteban Solari is proud of his men though their Asian Champions League (ACL) campaign came to an early end once again.
The Southern Tigers, who missed qualifying for the last 16 earlier, defeated 10-man Pathum United of Thailand, 4-1, in their final Group I match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium yesterday,
"We played against the best team in the Thai League and we know that we face a tough job. Even in the first half, we struggled to match their play as they were very organised tactically," said Argentine coach Solari.
"But we were committed to come back after trailing 1-0, and in the second half, our players showed their quality and played consistently. We won a penalty and it became the turning point of the match."
Solari praised midfielder Natxo Insa who made his return to competitive football after a 10-month lapse, due to injury, in place of the suspended Shio Hong Wan.
"It's a good performance in the ACL. We finished with nine points and only a minor mistake saw us lose 1-0 to Kawasaki Frontale, and this affected our progress to the next round.
"The performance of our players in the ACL was fantastic. They gave their everything. They don't want to lose at home and away and played with our philosophy."