A Malaysian state club emerged as the unlikely 2015 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup champion in a riveting final match on October 31 against a fancied side from Tajiskistan, a Central Asian republic.

Through a goal in the 23rd minute by Leandro Sebastian Velasquez off a corner kick, the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) Football Club beat the favorite Istiklol FC of Tajikistan in a night-time game at Pamir Stadium in the republic’s capital of Dushanbe, becoming the first team from Southeast Asia to win the title since the tournament’s inception in 2004.

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