On Saturday 3 November, Kashima Antlers won the first leg of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2018 final 2-0. With the help of the goals scored by their two Brazilians, Leo SILVA and SERGINHO, Kashima is now one step closer to their first ever ACL title and their 20th overall title in franchise history. The second leg will be held in Teheran, on Saturday 10 November.

After advancing to the final in their eighth appearance at the ACL, Kashima rotated majority of their players from their recent league match against Cerezo Osaka, with the exception of goalkeeper KWON Sun-Tae and defender SHOJI Gen. SUZUKI Yuma and DOI Shoma returned to the starting line-up while ABE Hiroki, who took part of the U-19 AFC Championship as a member of the U-19 Japan National Team, was named in the starting eleven.

However, it was the Iranian League Champions, who took the initiative of the match early in the match as Ali ALIPOUR and Bashar RESAN led the way to threaten the Kashima goal.

In the fourth minute, Persepolis’s midfielder Siamak NEMATI delivered a cross from the right to Alipour, who has scored five goals in the ACL this year, allowing him to take on the goalkeeper one-on-one, but Kashima’s defender JEONG Seung-Hyeon made a diving effort to block the shot with his face.

Right after the shot, Persepolis’s midfielder Ahmad NOUROLLAHI attempted to score from a free kick, but Kashima’s goalkeeper Kwon responded sharply and defended well. Kwon has contributed to winning the title of the ACL twice when he previously played for the Korean Republic side, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Kashima struggled to deal with Persepolis’s quick attacks that was initiated by the long passes delivered by their goalkeeper Alireza BEIRANVAND and the defence line. However, Kashima remained persistent and by midway into the first half, they gradually started to take control of the ball possession.

In the 25th minute, Kashima earned a freekick where Leo Silva delivered the ball to NISHI Daigo who passed the ball to allow Suzuki to take a shot at goal. In the 31st minute, Serginho received a through ball from Doi and struck a shot, but it was blocked by the opposing defender.

Kashima continued to create opportunities as Abe connected with a cross delivered by Serginho in the closing minutes of the first half but came short from finding the back of the net.

After entering halftime scoreless, Kashima showcased great ball movements in the second half. In the 48th minute, Abe initiated an attack from Suzuki’s interception. The ball was connected through Doi, Nishi, and the final pass was delivered to Leo Silva, who attempted a shot which failed to capture the target, but this play led to the following opportunity for Kashima.

The long-awaited moment came in the 58th minute, when Nishi carried the ball up the right flank before passing the ball to Leo Silva, who played a give-and-go with Doi to break through the centre. The Brazilian struck a left footed shot that captured the left-hand corner of the goal, where he later reflected, “I focused on accuracy rather than power,” to give Kashima the opening goal.

With momentum on their side, Kashima kept on pressing while Persepolis seemed to look out of gas and showed less mobility in their attacks.

Kashima extended their lead in the 70th minute, when MISAO Kento delivered a lobbing pass towards the goal following a freekick situation. Serginho responded to this pass and converted the opportunity to register a gaol in five consecutive ACL matches.

In the closing minutes of the match, Kashima continued to take control while Persepolis were seen committing more fouls. Nemati was ejected from the match after receiving his second yellow card of the match during additional time of the second half.

Kashima took the first leg with a score of 2-0. The home victory takes them one step forward to the Asian title they were longing for.

With this result, Kashima will be crowned as champions with a win or draw at the second leg that will be held in Iran on Saturday 10 November. Even with a loss, they can still take down the title if they stay within a goal. In case of a loss by a two-goal margin, they will need to score at least a goal to be ahead in the away goal regulation. If the second leg ends in a score of 0-2, they will play extra time. The winner of this finals will earn a spot into the FIFA Club World Cup that will held at UAE in December.

If Kashima wins the title, it will be consecutive titles won by a Japanese club, after Urawa Red Diamonds won the title last year. Such feat will be the first time since Urawa won the ACL in 2007 followed by Gamba Osaka’s championship campaign in 2008.

Coaches and Players' Comments

OIWA Go, Coach (Kashima Antlers)
We allowed our opponents to gain too much momentum in the first half, so we made the adjustments during halftime. By pushing up our lines, we effectively utilised the space in the flanks and managed to show good combinations with the central players as well. I am proud of my players for scoring the goals just the way we anticipated. We were able to perform according to our game plan in the second half. However, we are still only half way through. Once we arrive in Teheran, the atmosphere will be so much different, so we will prepare ourselves well ahead of the match.

GK #1 KWON Sun-Tae (Kashima Antlers)
The expectations are always high for Kashima and the players have learned from last years’ experience to make a deep run this year. We will forget about this win in the first leg and enter the second leg with strong determination to win the match.

MF #4 Leo SILVA (Kashima Antlers)
We struggled to find our rhythm in the early minutes as the game was equally matched and the unique atmosphere of the final made us nervous. We also had difficult time adjusting to the Western Asian play style. Once we got used to their plays, we managed to play in our pace. I am glad I managed to score a goal, but we must not forget that we have not accomplished anything yet. Our next match is the real final for us. Despite playing away from home, we will play with composure.

FW #18 SERGINHO (Kashima Antlers)
In the scene where I scored the goal, Misao passed the ball to me after I demanded the ball, so I just had to tap the ball into the goal. We executed our coach’s game plan well and earn the 2-0 victory. However, we still have the second leg to play, so we will prepare ourselves ahead of the match and earn positive results.

Branko IVANKOVIC, Coach (Persepolis)
I would first of all like to congratulate Kashima for their victory. We tried to maintain our first half performance in the second half, but we couldn’t cope with Kashima’s aggressive approach and saw some unfortunate decisions made by the referee that changed the dynamics of the match. The result is disappointing, but we will display a better performance in the second leg and earn better results.

Tournament Period: 30 January - 10 November 2018

Final 1st Leg
Sat. 3 November 15:00 Kashima Antlers (Japan)vs Persepolis (Iran)
Match Venue: Kashima Soccer Stadium

Final 2nd Leg
Sat. 10 November 18:30 Persepolis (Iran) vs Kashima Antlers (Japan)
Match Venue: Azadi Stadium

Tournament Information