Johor: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) displayed a solid defensive performance to hold Japanese club Machida Zelvia to a 0-0 draw in their AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) 2025/26 East Zone Group match at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium here tonight.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the match was intense right from the start, with Machida Zelvia nearly breaking the deadlock in the 22nd minute after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) confirmed a foul by JDT defender Jonathan Silva inside the penalty box. However, Yuki Soma’s penalty kick failed to open the scoring when the ball rattled the crossbar, allowing JDT to maintain the clean sheet.

JDT attempted to rebound through Ager Aketxe Barrutia, who unleashed a powerful shot in the 27th minute, but the ball went slightly wide before being gathered by Machida goalkeeper, Kosei Tani. Towards the end of the first half, Ager’s attempts in the 43rd and 45th minutes failed to hit the target, while a fierce shot from Yuki Soma in injury time was safely parried by Ahmad Syihan Hazmi.

The second half saw Machida continued to press. In the 60th minute, Na Sangho nearly put them ahead following a scramble in front of the goal, but his effort was thwarted by Ahmad Syihan. JDT made two tactical substitutions: Cairoke Da Silva replaced Bergson Da Silva in the 64th minute, while Natxo Insa took the place of Ignacio Mendez in the 72nd minute to add balance to the attack and midfield.

In the 83rd minute, Ager created a dangerous opportunity, but his attempt was blocked by the visiting goalkeeper. Two minutes later, Spanish winger Teto Martin tried to break the deadlock with a curling shot from outside the penalty area, but the ball only shook the side netting of the opponent’s goal. Both teams continued to search for a winning goal until the final whistle, but the goalkeepers’ agility and the disciplined defence ensured that the group’s inaugural match ended goalless.