HIROSHIMA, Japan -- Considering they had just accomplished an unprecedented feat, it was perhaps slightly curious initially that the Johor Darul Ta'zim camp was not universally bursting with over-the-top celebrations as they filed out of Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima on Wednesday evening.
After all, despite a 1-0 loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, JDT had done enough in last week's first leg to seal a 3-2 aggregate victory in the AFC Champions League Elite round of 16 and advance to the quarterfinals of Asian football's premier club competition for the first time.
Of course, there were many with beaming smiles, slapping a teammate on the back as they triumphantly walked towards the team bus with a spring on the step. But they were mainly the younger or newer members of the squad.
Instead, he first one out of the dressing room -- vice-captain Afiq Fazail, who skippered the team on the night in the absence of Natxo Insa -- even had a steely look on his face, which might have even been mistaken for solemnity.
Yet perhaps for many of the club's longer-serving stalwarts, who have been through all the highs and lows and ever-raising bars, the overriding emotion was simply satisfaction or relief, rather than outright jubilation, at finally accomplishing a longstanding target -- one they had come close to previously only to suffer heartbreak.
After Afiq, Australian defender Shane Lowry was among the next few early ones out of the dressing room. Among JDT's foreign brigade, almost none have been at the club longer than the 36-year-old.
Lowry signed for the Southern Tigers in May 2021. By the end of the following year, they would reach the knockout round of the ACL Elite -- then just known as the AFC Champions League -- for the first time.
In the years that followed, however, until now, it would be the furthest they would get.
Of course, few would realistically be expecting a club who only made their debut among the continent's elite in 2019 to be winning the tournament right away.
But, especially for a club owned by one as ambitious as Tunku Ismail Idris -- who has long voiced his ambition for the team to eventually be the best in Asia -- there was a need to at least show some progress.
Advancing to the last eight of the ACL Elite is material proof of progress.
Which is perhaps why, after the disappointments of previous campaigns, Lowry -- while hardly the exuberant sort -- allowed himself to break out a tiny smile of fulfilment, and almost a loosening of those weary, battle-hardened shoulders.
"It's absolutely amazing," he told ESPN. "I'm a little bit older now so I think you definitely appreciate it more.
"[You] become more grateful. In May, I'll be here five years. We never got past the round of 16 stage [before] so to go that one step extra is really satisfying.
"And it's our boss who pushes us every season to get better and better. This is for him and for all the people of Johor.
"It was a tight game. We knew they were going to come and attack and we had to be resolute defensively, which we [were]. We changed our style a little bit [to become] more resolute and were trying to see out the overall result in the end.
"We're super happy that we did in the end and we're looking forward to the quarterfinals now."
The new ACL Elite Finals, introduced last season, means reaching the quarters immediately guarantees a trip to the centralised mini-tournament that is the climax of the competition.
Of course, a team could easily be eliminated at the first hurdle but there is certainly a different vibe with the format.
Lowry has been at JDT long enough to experience something similar, back at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic when tournaments were played in bubbles.
This one, though, should feel different -- in a positive way.
"It [playing in a centralised tournament format] is great," he shared. "It's going to be a first for us.
"We've played like little bubbles before obviously, in the COVID era and stuff like that, but to get to this stage of the tournament is super satisfying -- personally and collectively."
As Lowry made his way towards the bus, more soon followed.
Nazmi Faiz, who has now also entered veteran status even though it feels like it was not too long ago he was Malaysian football's most highly-rated young prospect.
Liverpool legend Luis García, who last March was convinced by TMJ to become JDT's chief executive officer.
Then, right at the very last, came the other import who has seen it all.
Bérgson da Silva arrived two months before Lowry and is the club's longest-serving foreigner.
He is already the all-time top scorer for both the Southern Tigers, as well as in the Malaysia Super League. Even if he is, like Lowry, no longer an automatic starter, they are still regularly relied on -- and never let the team down.
And where Lowry had resorted to a simple smile of satisfaction, Bérgson's was a puff of the cheeks almost in relief.
"It's an unbelievable moment for us," he told ESPN. "Because, when we came here five years ago, we never thought we might achieve this target and milestone.
"So it's very important for us. Going one more step forward in Asian competition and putting the name of the club on top of Asia, which the club deserves."
The Brazilian striker also believes, contrary to their naysayers, the Southern Tigers had once more proved that Malaysian football -- or JDT at least -- deserved to be recognised as being among the continent's elite.
"[It's an] indescribable moment for us because you know, when we are [from] Malaysia, sometimes people look to you like 'huh -- Malaysia, look how they play'," he recounted.
"But now, we have shown to everybody what we can do. We are [from] Malaysia. And we are very proud to represent Malaysia and Johorean people."
J1 League outfits Vissel Kobe and Machida Zelvia, as well as Thailand's Buriram United, are the East Region's other representatives in the quarters. JDT are familiar with all of them through the tournament's league stage, especially Buriram -- who they have now failed to beat in four meetings since December 2024.
Renewing any of those rivalries will have to wait given the quarterfinals will be inter-region affairs, although the round of 16 ties in the West are yet to take place given the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Whatever comes their way, Bérgson is ready -- and looking forward.
"We have no idea what will happen," the 35-year-old added. "The next steps -- what will happen, will happen.
"Just to be there is reason to be proud. I think we can compete with a lot of teams.
"We'll do this and push hard to be in the next round."
