Solid strike: JDT’s Arif Aiman Hanapi celebrating after scoring a goal against Pathum United in the Group I match. — JDT’s Faceboo
PETALING JAYA: Arif Aiman Hanapi had been dreaming of showcasing his scoring prowess at a higher level and the young Johor Darul Ta’zim winger achieved that goal in style against Pathum United in the AFC Champions League.
Arif, 21, showed why he was named as the Malaysian League’s Most Valuable Player in 2021 and 2022 as he stepped out of the shadows of his star compatriots and struck twice against the Thai club at BG Stadium in an important away match where JDT won 4-2 in Group I.
Chief striker Bergson da Silva and Fernando Forestieri played a bigger role in JDT’s run to the knockout stage last year where they lost 0-5 to champions Urawa Red Diamonds in the last 16 but winger Arif has finally won his bragging rights with a masterful performance at Pathum Thani.
The match was also crucial as JDT needed to bounce back from a narrow 0-1 defeat to Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale in Iskandar Puteri on Sept 19 and the Southern Tigers have done admirably well by turning the power after being 0-1 down by the fifth minute.
Pathum’s Victor Cardozo scored from the spot in the fifth minute but Arif initiated the fightback almost immediately as he slotted in a sixth-minute goal and added his second in the 78th minute. Bergson (14th) and Juan Muniz (53rd) made it a masterful performance from JDT.
Cardozo added a second in the 55th minute for Pathum but the night belonged to Arif.
“I’m so happy to finally fulfil my dreams of scoring in a big match, especially in the AFC Champions League, where it was also important for us to secure the three points away,” said Arif.
“My ability to score is also helped by the hard work of my teammates to ensure success.
“The victory has also opened our chances of qualifying for the next stage and although it is still a long way, but performance will boost our confidence to play with this consistency in future.”
The win also eased the tensions for the Southern Tigers and their coach Esteban Solari was relieved that his team managed to come back with a bang against Pathum.
“We just couldn’t wait to prove that we can play better than we did against Kawasaki. Today (Tuesday) was the test and the players were great,” said Solari.
“The fightback after our 0-1 defeat (against the Japanese club) showed our character that we can perform away.
“Pathum have quality players but we also have the players who can attack from anywhere when they have the ball and I’m proud of the way we played in this game.”
In another group match, Kawasaki secured a narrow 1-0 win against Ulsan Hyundai in Kawasaki, Japan on Tuesday.
JDT will play their second match against Ulsan away on Oct 8.
