Live Score: Buriram, down to 10 men, hold Johor to a draw, sharing the first points in ACL Elite 2026-27 opener.
On 15 Sep 2026 GMT+7, in the AFC Champions League Elite 2026-27 Eastern Zone league stage opener, Buriram United, Thai League 1 champions, visited Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysian league champions and key ASEAN rivals.
At the 9th minute, Johor Darul Ta'zim had the first chance, as Alif Aiman crossed to Kevin Medina who headed, but the ball narrowly missed the post.
At 19 minutes, Buriram United had their first chance when Darlan Mendes delivered a free kick into the box. Johor’s Cihan Hasmy punched the ball away, but it fell to Stefan Schimmer who volleyed immediately. The ball deflected off teammate Uroš Radaković’s head, nearly resulting in a goal.
At 23 minutes, Johor Darul Ta'zim scored through Oscar Arribas, but the goal was disallowed because the Spanish player fouled Neil Etheridge before scoring, so the home team did not take the lead.
GOAL! At 26 minutes, Johor Darul Ta'zim took the lead 1-0 against Buriram United as Oscar Arribas scored from a long-range shot that beat Neil Etheridge.
At 39 minutes, Darlan Mendes lobbed the ball over Johor’s defense to Guilherme Bissoli, who struck a left-footed shot that was weak and comfortably caught by Cihan Hasmy.
GOAL! At 43 minutes, Buriram United equalized when Darlan Mendes crossed over the Johor defense to Stefan Schimmer, who volleyed the ball beautifully into the net. Johor Darul Ta'zim 1-1 Buriram United.
After that, neither team created further chances before halftime. The referee blew the whistle for half time with the score tied at 1-1.
At 49 minutes, Marcos Guilherme passed to Bergson da Silva, who had just come on. Bergson's first touch was a shot which Neil Etheridge saved.
At 55 minutes, Johor Darul Ta'zim pressed forward continuously. Marcos Guilherme dribbled past Uroš Radaković and got a close-range shot, but the ball went wide in a surprising miss.
At 57 minutes, Buriram United were reduced to 10 men after captain Kenneth Dougall fouled Nacho Mendez and received a second yellow card, resulting in a red card and ejection.
At 66 minutes, Buriram United threatened from a free kick. Guilherme Bissoli struck a powerful shot on target, but Cihan Hasmy failed to hold it, spilling the ball. However, no Buriram player managed to follow up in time.
At 69 minutes, Oscar Arribas took a shot that was blocked by Buriram’s defense, which bounced to Bergson da Silva. Bergson struck a powerful follow-up shot that hit the crossbar.
At 87 minutes, Buriram United conceded a penalty after Eduardo Mancha fouled Alif Aiman inside the box. Bergson da Silva took the spot-kick but his shot was saved by Neil Etheridge, who dived to make the stop.
At 90+1 minutes, Johor Darul Ta'zim were also down to 10 men after Eddy Israfilov deliberately fouled Alexandru Tudorie. The referee immediately showed a red card.
At 90+3 minutes, Jairo Macedo took a shot from outside the box. Neil Etheridge parried it, and Bergson da Silva tried a follow-up but missed the target.
At 90+7 minutes, Johor Darul Ta'zim nearly scored in the final chance. Alif Aiman’s shot hit the post, then Kevin Medina headed it close in, but Curtis Good blocked the effort with a defensive header, helping Buriram United avoid conceding late.
Neither team could create more chances after that. The referee blew the final whistle with Johor Darul Ta'zim hosting Buriram United to a 1-1 draw, each taking one point in the AFC Champions League 2026-27 Eastern Zone league stage opener.
Johor Darul Ta'zim.Cihan Hasmy, Eddy Israfilov, Kevin Medina, Antonio Clauder, Oscar Arribas (subbed by Jairo Macedo 75'), Dejan Petrovic (Carlos Acapo 90+3'), Afif Fasail (Nacho Mendez 46'), Jonathan Silva (Matias Nahuel 68'), Alif Aiman, Marcos Guilherme, Shahab Sahebi (Bergson da Silva 46').
Buriram United.Neil Etheridge, Uroš Radaković, Curtis Good, Nathan Peilai, Kingsley Shindler, Goran Kausic (Vukan Savicevic 12'), Kenneth Dougall, Darlan Mendes (Theerathon Bunmathan 74'), Sasalak Haiprakhon (Eduardo Mancha 74'), Stefan Schimmer (Paulo Enrique 60'), Guilherme Bissoli (Alexandru Tudorie 74').
*Thanks to JOHOR Southern Tigers for the images.