In reaching the AFC Champions League Elite quarterfinals this season, Johor Darul Ta'zim have gone further than they ever have in Asian football's premier club competition.
However, that is as far as they will go -- and perhaps they have only themselves to blame for failing to capitalise on a significantly-advantageous situation.
Finding themselves a goal and a man up as early as the 37th minute, JDT contrived to throw it all away on Friday as they suffered a 2-1 loss to defending champions Al Ahli at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
Plenty of credit has to be given to Al Ahli, who were clearly determined to keep their title defence alive despite some early setbacks.
And while the quality of the Saudi Pro League giants is undeniable, JDT really could have more of the position they found themselves in -- having finished the game with just a meagre three shots on target, and even losing out in the possession stakes 47% to 53% despite their numerical supremacy.
It all started so promisingly for the Southern Tigers and, quite frankly, against the script.
Undaunted by the 40,506 in attendance who were predominantly supporting Al Ahli, and despite their opponents getting on the front foot from the opening whistle, JDT took a shock lead in the 19th minute.
As Al Ahli centre-back Roger Ibañez attempted to shield the ball by the sideline, Jairo barged him over -- legally, according to the referee to win possession -- before charging towards goal while brushing off an attempted challenge by Zakaria Hawsawi.
The Brazilian then slid a low pass into the six-yard box that took opposition goalkeeper Édouard Mendy out of the equation and put it on a platter for compatriot Marcos Guilherme.
As the ball nestled into the back of the net, Guilherme wheeled away in celebration although replays showed it was a recovering Ali Majrashi who had gotten the crucial touch for an own-goal.
It proved to be an outing to forget for Majrashi, who was then the antagonist in a series of events that saw the match threaten to descend into chaos starting seven minutes after the half-hour mark.
He certainly only had eyes for the ball but when his attempt at a spectacular bicycle kick clearance saw him catch Jairo flush in the face with his shin, there was only even going to be one outcome for the full-back: a straight red.
The JDT players were infuriated by the challenge, with Jonathan Silva rushing in to shove Majrashi -- who actually had his face buried in the turf when he was shown the card -- over.
There were very concerning scenes as Jairo looked to have been knocked out cold and the delay in medical treatment even saw JDT captain Natxo Insa rush to the side to personally bring on a stretcher -- with his admittedly-forceful attempts to procure the medical device seeing him become just one of several booked in the aftermath.
Still, as the dust settled and some form of calm resumed, with Jairo safely brought off to receive urgent treatment, it was apparent that JDT had now found themselves in a position they could have only dreamed off before kickoff.
Yet, in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, they somehow left two Al Ahli players unattended at a corner when they only had to see out a few more seconds to go into the break in front.
In the end, it was Franck Kessié who got in just ahead of Ibañez to send an unmarked downward header past a dumbstruck Andoni Zubiaurre.
Despite the trying circumstances they found themselves in, Al Ahli were now well and truly back in the contest.
If there was plenty JDT could have done to prevent Kessié from equalising, there was probably no one really to blame as Al Ahli then remarkably took the lead nine minutes after the restart.
There looked to be no apparent danger when Galeno received possession 25 yards out from goal -- and he was immediately closed down by Insa.
But with a casual drop of the shoulder, Galeno skillfully wriggled his way around the opposition skipper before the real moment of magic: a piledriver of a long-range effort that rocketed beyond Zubiaurre's despairing dive into the top corner.
Al Ahli now had the luxury of sitting back and defending their lead. It was down to JDT to show they had what it takes to mount a fightback of their own.
And the Malaysia Super League outfit did create their fair share of openings.
A clever spin on the edge of the box by Yago in the 76th minute created enough space for him to fire away an excellent curling effort that required Mendy to make a save at full stretch.
From the resultant corner, Eddy Israfilov connected with a towering header but could only send it straight at the ex-Chelsea custodian.
JDT had one last chance in the third minute of injury-time when the ball fell to Óscar Arribas on the edge of the area. The Spaniard instinctively fired away a snapshot on the half-volley but, having saw it late, Mendy reacted in time and sprawled to his right to make a match-winning save.
As the final whistle blew a short while later, JDT could hardly hide their disappointment. Having toiled all season long to earn a trip to Jeddah, they are set for the first flight home.
Yet, as a whole, the campaign is far from a sorry one. It cannot possibly be, when they have climbed closer to the Asian football summit than they ever have -- but there is still some way to go.
Perhaps, Friday's elimination will be a reminder as to the next steps JDT must take.
Especially against stronger opposition away from home on the continental stage, the Southern Tigers remain content to sit back and soak up pressure before hitting on the counterattack.
It has served them well and it was probably the approach they were expecting to employ for most of the game against Al Ahli.
But when they suddenly found themselves in the driver's seat following a turn of events, JDT did not quite look like they knew how to break down quality opposition who were putting all 11 players -- or ten, in Friday's case -- behind the ball.
JDT's constant evolution has seen them reach the last eight of the ACL Elite in 2025-26. They will now have to wait for next season to show what next steps they will be taking to venture even further.
