K League 1 club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors defeated Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia to secure their first victory in three matches in the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE).

Jeonbuk earned a 2-0 win over Johor Darul Ta'zim in the 2026-2027 ACLE league stage Matchday 4 home fixture held at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium on November 3, powered by goals from Motta and Italo.

Having started their campaign positively with a 2-1 victory over Kashiwa Reysol (Japan) in Matchday 1, Jeonbuk suffered a 0-2 defeat to Vissel Kobe (Japan) in Matchday 2 and a 2-2 draw against Beijing Guoan (China) in Matchday 3, bringing their record to 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss (7 points) after beating Johor Darul Ta'zim.

Meanwhile, Johor Darul Ta'zim (2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, 7 points) suffered their first defeat.

Jeonbuk struggled to fend off strong early pressure from Johor Darul Ta'zim from the start of the first half.

Goalkeeper Song Bum-keun parried a right-footed shot by Marcus Guilherme, who penetrated the center of the penalty area in the 4th minute of the first half, successfully averting a conceding crisis.

Jeonbuk even faced the unfortunate situation of substituting defender Yeon Je-woon early in the 16th minute of the first half due to pain in his left calf.

Having successfully weathered the threats from Johor Darul Ta'zim, Jeonbuk finally broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute of the first half.

The protagonist was Motta.

Motta quickly dashed toward the center of the goal to meet a cross from Kim Jin-gyu, who stripped the opponent of the ball on the left flank, redirecting it with a header to shake the back of Johor Darul Ta'zim's net.

This was Motta's second consecutive scoring match, following his opening goal in Matchday 3 against Beijing.

Jeonbuk further tilted the match in their favor during stoppage time of the first half.

When Song Bum-keun's goal kick glanced off an opposing defender's head and drifted backward, Lee Dong-jun collected it and surged into the right side of the penalty area, where he was tripped by the opposing goalkeeper to earn a penalty kick. Italo stepped up as the kicker and successfully converted it.

Ending the first half with a 2-0 lead, Jeonbuk wrapped up the victory without additional goals in the second half, as Lee Young-jae's right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area sailed past the goalpost in the 27th minute of the second half, followed by a missed right-footed attempt by Kim Jin-gyu in a subsequent opportunity.

On the other hand, Daejeon Hana Citizen suffered a 0-2 shutout defeat in their away match against Kashiwa Reysol (Japan) held at Sankyo Frontier Kashiwa Stadium in Chiba, Japan.

Having suffered their first defeat against Kobe in the previous Matchday 3, Daejeon fell to consecutive losses, bringing their record to 1 win, 1 draw, and 2 losses (4 points).

Kashiwa recorded 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss (7 points).

Ceding initiative to Kashiwa from the early stages of the first half, Daejeon narrowly escaped conceding thanks to Kashiwa players' lack of clinical finishing.

Daejeon rued a missed chance in the 21st minute of the first half when Joao Victor's left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area was blocked by the goalkeeper.

Joao Victor also came close in the 37th minute of the first half with a surprise right-footed shot near the center of the penalty arc that drifted slightly wide of the goalpost, ending the first half scoreless.

Ultimately, Kashiwa, which had been pressing Daejeon, broke through just two minutes into the second half.

Tojiro Kubo pierced through Daejeon's defensive line on the right flank, rushed into the right side of the penalty area, and delivered a cross, which Keiji Endo finished with his right foot from the left side of the goal area.

Kashiwa completed an additional goal in identical fashion 10 minutes later.

Nobuteru Nakazawa penetrated Daejeon's final defensive line into the right side of the penalty area and sent a cross, which Shota Fujio converted with a right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area to break down Daejeon.

(Photo = Provided by Korea Professional Football League, Yonhap News)