“Two Champions League games and one FA Cup final, we considered the three games together. However, our intention is always to win games,” said Tang, who was deputising for suspended head coach Choi Kang-hee.

“The lineup is of course risky, but we always have to take risks to win. ​​​In the AFC Champions League, all our preparations are 100%, and our efforts are also 100%.  We will review and prepare for the away game against Kawasaki and strive for a satisfactory result.”

The Chinese Super League side had to cope with sustained pressure with JDT dominant in possession. Zeca, however, stepped off the bench to score the winner in the 68th minute.

Defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for the Malaysian champions, having dominated the game with more than twice the number of attempts compared to Shandong and ultimately conceding to the only shot on target the home side had in the match.

Head coach Hector Bidoglio was left in disbelief how his side did not win but was proud of the performance as JDT stayed on seven points.

“In my opinion, JDT played well and the final score is not reflective of how we played,” said Bidoglio. “We had a lot of chances to score but didn’t, this is how football is sometimes. 

“We moved the ball well today and we were able to show our type of football. Overall, I’m not happy with the result but I’m very happy with the performance.”

JDT will face Thailand’s Buriram United at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium next week.