The second day of the fifth group-stage matches in the AFC Champions League（ACL）saw leaders Urawa Reds rout Western Sydney Wanders 6-1 in Group F on Wednesday 26 April and book a place in the knockout stages for the second straight year and for the fourth time in history with a final game to spare.

Meanwhile, Kashima Antlers recorded a comprehensive 4-0 win over Ulsan Hyundai (Korea) in an away game in Group E and, along with leaders and Muangthong United’s 3-0 win over Bribane Roar, sealed a spot in the knockout stages for the fifth time overall after missing the Round-of-16 competition for the past six years.

Urawa tally three goals just in first half

Requiring only a draw to qualify to the Round of 16, Urawa Reds made five changes in the starting line-ups from the weekend J. League match against Consadole Sapporo. With fresh legs on the pitch, the Urawa club dominated the possession in midfield and effectively strung passes to exploit the flanks. With their opponents unable find their attacking rhythm in the first half, the Japanese side took a 3-0 lead before halftime.

Urawa opened the scoring in the 14th minute as forward MUTO Yuki surged up the left flank and his cut-back was brilliantly curled in by midfielder SEKINE Takahiro, and doubled their lead three minutes later after forward ZLATAN reacted quickly to an incisive through pass by midfielder KOMAI Yoshiaki and the Slovenian striker composedly slotted home past the Australian goalkeeper.

Urawa continued to dominate the match with relentless attacking efforts, as a pair of goal threatening attempts came in the 22nd minute as Komai’s tight-angle finish struck the crossbar after cutting inside from the right and two minutes later when defender MAKINO Tomoaki’s shot from the left side was denied by the woodwork.

Fourth place Sydney Wanderers with only a slim chance of advancing to the knockout stages tried to cope with the threatening attacks of the Japanese counterparts by having five defenders in the backline. After 30 minutes, defender Scott NEVILLE acted as a playmaker by stringing passes down the right flank and sending a final pass to their top scoring forward SANTALAB. Then, in the 37th minute, Santalab almost cut Urawa’s lead into half when he hit the crossbar with a header from Neville’s cross.

However, it was Urawa’s forward LEE Tadanari who put his side further ahead in the 43rd minute. Finding the space behind the defenders, Komai squared a neat pass to onrushing Lee who slotted the third to end the first half with a 3-0 lead.

Right after the break, Urawa nearly scored the fourth after midfielder KASHIWAGI Yosuke combined well with Zlatan and came close to the Wanderer’s goal. 

Thereafter, Western Sydney almost capitalised on some Urawa’s slack defending in the 50th minute as Santalab dribbled past the defenders to create a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper, but his poor finish was send over the bar, and six minutes later when KUSUKAMI Junpei met a left cross with his right foot and threatened the Japanese goal. Then, Kusukami finally opened the scoring for the Australian side in the 66th minute and built up momentum by creating few menacing chances moments later.

However, Urawa’s substitute Rafael SILVA was put clean though by a neat one-two pass with Lee and restored the three-goal advantage in the 71st minute, and took the game out of the reach for Wanderers nine minutes later when he nailed the fifth for his side off a counter. In added time, Rafael shone again after orchestrating a wonderful attack after robbing the ball in midfield and assisted forward KOROKI Shinzo with a precise heel pass to complete a 6-1 rout for the Reds.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

Now with a record of four wins and one loss, Urawa are level on points and goal difference with Shanghai SIPG (China) who defeated 4-2 against FC Seoul on the same date, but placed above the Chinese counterparts on away goals to top Group F. Having secured a place in the next round with 12 points, Urawa will seal the leading spot with a win on the road over FC Seoul in the final group-stage match on 10 May.

Kashima score four in second half to secure first away win

Kashima Antlers needed a win over Ulsan along with Muangthong at least drawing against Brisbane in the other Group E match to advance the knockout stages. After a scoreless first half, Antlers brushed aside the opponents in the second by tallying four goals.

The opener came in the 52nd minute as forward KANAZAKI Mu reacted to the loose ball off midfielder DOI Shoma’s shot to give Kashima the advantage early in the second half. Then two minutes later, after robbing the ball from Ulsan’s defender forward PEDRO JUNIOR surged up the middle and into the box to rifle in a brilliant left-footer beyond the reach of Korean goalkeeper and doubled the lead for his side.

In the 67th minute, Kashima capitalised on the kicking error by the opposing goalkeeper to score their third. After receiving a back pass, the Korean keeper was pressured by dashing Kanazaki, and unable to clear out of the danger zone, the J. League striker got to the failed clearance first and composedly netted his second of the evening.

The visitors kept their attacking rhythm as they brought in forward SUZUKI Yuma and midfielder LEANDRO from the bench and continued to press hard with an excellent work-rate until the end of the match. Then, LEO SILVA smashed home a stunner from long-range in the 90th minute to complete a 4-0 comprehensive win over hosts Ulsan.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

Now with a record of three wins and two losses, Kashima secured their second place in the group with one game remaining and booked a place in the Round-of-16 competition with five points adrift from third-placed Ulsan. Leaders Muangthong’s 3-0 win over Brisbane Roar kept them in the top of the group, but with only two points separating the two top teams, Kashima still have the chance to claim the leading spot if they win the face-to-face encounter at home with the Thai champions in the final group-stage match on 10 May.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

Mihailo PETROVIC, Coach (Urawa Reds)
We came out aggressively and posted a smashing 6-1 win, but partly due to tiredness in the second half, we allowed the opponents to create several scoring chances. We must address those issues and work on them. We are targeting to win the title of every competition we enter, and thus we are content that we advanced to the next round of the tournament. However, we cannot be overconfident after this comprehensive win. I believe this is the result of competing through a tough group stage along with the J. League matches one game at a time to improve ourselves. We will continue our endeavours by giving our best in every match we face.

MF KOMAI Yoshiaki (Urawa Reds)
Since advancing to the knockout stages had been the target for my team and myself, I am happy to achieve that goal. However, we were eliminated in the Round of 16 last year, thus we are looking to surpass that result and advance to quarter-finals first and then all the way to the final. I believe the next away game against Seoul will be tough, and it is important that we maintain this positive momentum if we were to win the match.

FW LEE Tadanari (Urawa Reds)
It was an important fourth goal scored against the run of play. I am gaining confidence as I am performing well for the team and producing good results. I believe I am in prime form as well. Advancing to the Round of 15 is only a passing point, and not our final destination. We are looking to aim much higher, and thus need to improve more. I will be working on the combination plays among three to four attacking players up front.

Tony POPOVIC, Coach (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Urawa were the superior side, pressing hard from the first half, and we simply could not keep the possession of the ball. We had observed a tone-down in their pressing in the second, and found an attacking rhythm to score a goal. However, we failed to capitalise on several scoring chances thereafter and gave away the momentum back to Urawa, who composedly converted theirs. The difference was apparent. We faced many quality teams in the ACL, and learned a lot from contesting tough matches.

Tournament Period：24 January 2017 (Tue.) ～ 25 November 2017 (Sat.)

Group E
10 May 2017 (Wed) 19:00  Kick-off (TBC)
Kashima Soccer Stadium
Kashima Antlers (Japan) vs Muangthong United (Thailand)

Group F
10 May 2017 (Wed) 19:00  Kick-off (TBC) ＜Local Time＞
Seoul World Cup Stadium
FC Seoul (Korea) vs Urawa Reds (Japan)

Group G
9 May 2017 (Wed) 19:00  Kick-off (TBC)
Todoroki Athletic Stadium
Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) vs Eastern SC (Hong Kong)

Group H
9 May 2017 (Wed) 19:00  Kick-off (TBC) ＜Local Time＞
Jeju World Cup Stadium
Jeju United (Korea) vs Gamba Osaka (Japan)

Tournament Information