The final Sec. of the AFC Champions League 2018 (ACL) took place on Wednesday 18 April. In group F, Kawasaki Frontale tied against Ulsan Hyundai (Korea Republic) 2-2, finishing the group league winless. Kashiwa Reysol who are already eliminated in group E lost an away match against Tianjin Quanjian (China PR) 2-3, finishing third in their group with a win, a tie, and four loses.

Kawasaki F could not hold onto their two goal lead

Facing the second place Ulsan, who has already secured their spot into the knockout stage, Kawasaki F lined up players who had been given limited playing time this season. Midfielder SAITO Manabu was given his first start since returning from injury that sidelined him for a long period of time. With these players playing aggressively up front, the team showcased a vibrant performance.

In the early minutes of the match, forward AKASAKI Shuhei delivered a pass to Saito, who penetrated the penalty area with his dribble, before firing a shot. His shot was blocked by the opposing goalkeeper, but midfielder SUZUKI Yuto was there to convert the loose ball, giving Kawasaki F an early lead.

Kawasaki F will go onto take control of the match as Akasaki attempted a long range shot in the 20th minute after receiving the ball from MORIYA Kentaro, followed by defender NOBORIZATO Kyohei’s shot in the 25th minute. Suzuki was given an opportunity in the 30th minute after the ball was passed through Saito and defender TAKEOKA Yuto, but his shot was denied by the goalkeeper. In the 36th minute midfielder SHIMODA Hokuto made an attempt from a free kick, threatening Ulsan’s goal.

Kawasaki F’s second goal came on the 43rd minute, when Akasaki penetrated the left side with his dribble before finding midfielder HASEGAWA Tatsuya in the centre. Hasegawa got passed the Ulsan defender before slotting the ball into the net with this left foot.

Kawasaki F ended the first half with a 2-0 lead, but the game would level in the second half, within just a three minute span.

In the 47th minute Ulsan scored a goal off a corner kick from the right side. Midefielder Jae-yong Jeong headed the ball into the mix, allowing Yong-uh Park to knock the ball into the net.

Three minutes later, In-seong Kim’s cross deflected off a Kawasaki F player. Midfielder Yeong-jae Lee struck a shot off this loose ball, leveling the match at two apiece.

Seeking for their first win in the competition, Kawasaki F came back attacking as Suzuki and Moriya made their efforts. In the 79th minute, Akasaki attempted a header but his shot was denied by the goalkeeper. Kawasaki F brought in forward CHINEN Kei in the 84th minute, but their efforts came short from scoring the go-ahead goal, ending the match in a 2-2 tie.

Kawasaki F entered the competition as J. League champions, but finished with three ties and three loses, exiting the championship winless. Ulsan advances to the next round as the runner-up with a record of two wins, three ties, and a loss. Group leader Shanghai SIPG (China PR) dropped their final Sec. of group stage 1-2 against Melbourne Victory (Australia). Despite incurring their first loss of the competition, Shanghai topped the group with three wins, two ties and a loss.

In the round of 16, Shanghai will face group H runner-up, Kashima Antlers in May.

Kashiwa loses their away match against Tianjin

Despite being eliminated after the last Sec., Kashiwa entered the match seeking for their second victory of the championship. Facing the Tianjin side who has already locked up their spot into the next round, Kashiwa rotated nine of their starting members from their previous J. League match held on Saturday 14 April against Sapporo.

Tianjin Quanjian got into an early 2-0 lead when their midfielder Xuri Zhao came out scoring in the 24th and 30th minute. Kashiwa would score back in the 39th minute, when midfielder KOIZUMI Kei converted a deflection off a shot delivered by their forward Ramon Lopes.

However Tianjin’s striker Xu Yang scored their third goal in the 64th minute, regaining a two goal advantage over Kashiwa. Five minutes later, Reysol’s forward SEGAWA Yusuke scored his first goal since joining the team to cut the deficit in half, but the game would end with a final score of 2-3.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

ONIKI Toru, Coach (Kawasaki Frontale)
The supporters created an amazing atmosphere for us and the players were able to play with great confidence from the beginning of the match. It helped us score the opening goal in great fashion. However, we had a poor stretch in the second half, which is our only regret of the match. The players played hard until the very end, even after conceding the two goals. The team will feed off this match and utilise this experience to do better in the J. League. Including today’s match, we have always focused on not letting our guards down. In the ACL, we had to fight with a strong mentality, keeping our heads up even in away matches, and tough situations. We have to be able to fight through and score goals even when our tactics has been analysed by our opponents.

MF SAITO Manabu (Kawasaki Frontale)
Everybody showed great heart in this match. How we entered the match and our approach in the second half were both great, and we told each other to keep our focus throughout the match. It made me realise that the result does not always reflect how we play, and that’s part of football. In today’s match, we allowed our opponents to level the match after we were up by two goals. But the way we kept the game an even match after we conceded the goals, showed the strength of our team. Players who can get the results in these kind of matches are the ones who will be fighting for the starting position in the team. We are done with the ACL, but we’ll all have to rethink the way we approach our daily routine to fight for a spot in the starting line-ups from now on.

MF MORIYA Kentaro (Kawasaki Frontale)
Despite the team being already eliminated, it was very encouraging that this many supporters showed up for our match. It made us want to win today’s match that much more. We showed our willingness to win the match, and I think we were able to gain a valuable experience towards the J. League, Emperor's Cup, and J. League Levain Cup.

MF SUZUKI Yuto (Kawasaki Frontale)
We played good defence in the first half, and we talked to each other to keep our focus in the second half, but it is truly regretful that we conceded two goals. We had to be more critical in goal scoring opportunities. The team showed strong willingness to win the match and a strong sense of camaraderie.

Do-Hoon Kim, Coach (Ulsan Hyundai)
The match itself had no influence over the rankings in the competition, but both teams played their best until the very end. It was a match that really emphasised what football is all about. Despite conceding two goals early in the match, we scored back two goals in the second half, and every players showed great enthusiasm, including those who had been given limited playing time. The Korean teams who has advanced to the round of 16 prepared well ahead of the ACL. We failed to do well last year because of insufficient preparation. I have talked with my players on how to prepare this year. I think that kind of thought process played a role in the result as three out of four Korean teams advanced to the next round.

Tournament Period：30 January 2018 (Tue.) ～ 10 November 2018 (Sat.)

Tournament Information