Hariss first Singaporean to taste AFC Cup glory
National midfielder Hariss Harun and his club Johor Darul Ta'zim created history by beating Tajikistan's Istiklol FC 1-0 in Dushanbe yesterday to become the first Singaporean and South-east Asian team respectively to win the AFC Cup.
Leandro Velaquez, on loan from JDT II, grabbed the winner in the 23rd minute, as Istiklol had three efforts ruled out for offside at their sold-out Pamir Stadium.
Hariss, 24, said: "This win means a lot to my team and I. We didn't expect to go all the way and it's really a God-given victory."
JDT are the first team outside of the Middle East and Uzbekistan to win the regional club tournament for developing Asian nations, which is in its 12th year.
The result made JDT the first team to stop the Tajikistan champions from scoring on their home soil in two years.
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