The AFC Asian Champions League (ACL) had the second leg of its knockout stage first round, the round 16, as Kashiwa Reysol lost 1-2 to Suwon Samsung FC (KOR) to have the aggregate score tied 4-4. But the Japanese side clinched the last 8 spot thanks to the away goal rule. Kashiwa's quarterfinal berth is for the first time since they reached the last 4 in 2013.

After winning the first leg 3-2 in Korea Republic, Kashiwa had got an edge for the last 8 spot where they would be able to advance to the last 8 even with 0-1 or 1-2. But Kashiwa had trouble playing the second match in their favour as they allowed Suwon to attack from the start.

Suwon built up their offence with left side attacker Yeom Ki Hun leading as former Kawasaki Frontale forward Chong Tese and midfielder Ko Cha Won aggressively fired shots. In the 26th minute, DPR Korea international Chong Tese received a left cross and turned round to beat a Kashiwa defender in front of goal for an opener.

Then, Suwon went an attacking surge on the left flank led by midfielder Seo Jung Jin, who replaced injured Yeom in the 14th minute.

Kashiwa's forward Cristiano met defender WAKO Naoki's cross in the 19th minute and fired another shot through a cut-in after receiving defender Kim Changsoo's pass in the 36th minute, but both of them were denied by the opposing goalkeeper.

Suwon kept hard-working in the second half as they continued the same attacking pattern, robbing the ball in the midfield and quickly moving forward to attack. Seo and midfielder Kwon Changhoon created a couple of goal-scoring opportunities from cut-ins from left flank. In the 54th minute, Suwon scored their second goal of the day when defender Ku Jaryong tapped in a deflection of his own shot in a goalmouth scramble after a left corner kick clearance.

Kashiwa tried to rally back in the 65th minute with forward Leandro's effort from a counterattack. His shot was halted by an opposing defender, but midfielder KOBAYASHI Yusuke responded to the loose ball to composedly put it into the net with his right foot. It was 20-year-old Kobayashi's first ever professional career goal.

With this goal, Kashiwa got back on track, and Cristiano threatened the opposing goal with one shot after another.

To boost up their offence, the Suwon bench sent on midfielder Leo in the 75th minute and forward Kaio in the 81st minute to look for openings. But Kashiwa, taking the initiative, subbed in midfielder OTA Tetsuro, NAKATANI Shinnosuke and OTSU Yuki before they ended the match with the deficit kept as only one goal.

See more match details here (Japanese version only)

The pairings for the quarterfinals will be determined by a drawing on 18 June. The quarterfinals are held in the home-and-away system with the first leg on 25 and 26 August and the second leg on 15 and 16 September.

Head Coach and Players' Comments

YOSHIDA Takuma, Head Coach (Kashiwa Reysol)
I'm relieved and pleased to advance to the next round. We were under Suwon’s pressure throughout the 90 minutes, and we coped with that by adjusting our tactics little by little such as how to position and defend and how to move the ball. It was fortunate for us when Suwon lost their big weapon with Yeom Ki Hun's injury, but we allowed their substitute to break through our flanks. We kept discussing (in the team) not to affect the result of the first leg. But once we started playing on the pitch, the effect of having the 3-2 score was bigger than expected, and the match went difficult. The players battled it out very well and kept running very hard. I want to give credit to them for their effort.

Since we are struggling to add up points in the J.League, winning through the ACL is now our main focus. Whatever the match is like, winning gives the players another source of strength and this tournament is the one that gives this club and team motivation that says to ourselves "We can go even further" and "Let's go forward."

MF #25   KOBAYASHI Yusuke (Kashiwa Reysol)
(Speaking of the goal,) I was striving to score, so I'm happy to make it in such an important match. The three away goals turned out to be an advantage for us. Our team played the ACL in my first pro year, but I wasn't able to sit on the bench. I've been eager to play against Asian teams. I'm glad to play the match and have gained a lot of experience. I have more to improve but hopefully I will grow more. I learned from our coach when I was in the academy. There are more to do for him, but I believe I could repay him just a bit of favour with the goal.

DF #4   SUZUKI Daisuke (Kashiwa Reysol)
As we had sometimes pushed backward by the other side’s series of attacks in compact formation, we tried to make it compact as well and create more chances for battling physically. Since we were disappointed for losing in the semi-final two years ago and we’ve got to win the quarter-final for playing in that stage again. All of us at the club are committed to win the championship and I want to keep our motivation high even after a long interval.

Seo Jung Won, Head Coach (Suwon Samsung FC)
Kashiwa's midfield is quite strong, so we focused on that point. The tactics went well, and defender Yang Sang Min coped well with Kashiwa crosses from the sides. In the first leg, we had a problem on the physical side because we had two matches just ahead of it. Yet this time, we had two weeks to prepare and were confident to score two or more goals. But the outcome ended disappointingly due to the goal we conceded. The players did their best. I'd like to congratulate Kashiwa. 

AFC Champions League 2015

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