On Wednesday 23 October, the second leg of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2019 semi-finals took place at Tianhe Stadium, where Urawa Red Diamonds faced Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao (China PR). Following their 2-0 home victory against the Chinese powerhouse on Wednesday 2 October, Urawa took the second leg with a score of 1-0, clinching their second final appearance in three years. As a result, Urawa will face Al Hilal SFC (Saudi Arabia) at the final in November.

In a match where Urawa can clinch the final with a draw or better, or even a loss within a goal difference, the team started almost the same line-up from the first leg. Just one change was made to their line-up, as veteran midfielder ABE Yuki made the start to replace the injured AOKI Takuya.

The match started with the two-time ACL champions, Guangzhou showing great aggression in the early minutes. With the team needing a victory with at least a three goal margin, Guangzhou made four changes to their starting line-up from the first leg played in Saitama, as they shifted their formation from a three-back to a four-back system with their fullbacks positioned high in the flanks. The Chinese club, who has not lost in 21 ACL matches at home, initiated their attacks by collecting the ball to ELKESON and Anderson TALISCA.

While the home side applied aggressive pressure upfront, the Urawa defence led by SUZUKI Daisuke, MAKINO Tomoaki, and IWANAMI Takuya, showed great persistency. In offence, FABRICIO struck a shot from distance in the 13th minute, followed by Abe’s attempt in the 15th minute, but both attempts were blocked by the opposing goalkeeper ZENG Cheng. Guangzhou on the other hand, came close to threaten the Urawa goal in multiple occasions, as Talisca connected with a cross delivered by YANG Liyu in the 16th minute, followed by shots taken in the 35th and the 42nd minute, but his attempts were denied by superb saves made by Urawa’s goalkeeper NISHIKAWA Shusaku.

After ending the first half scoreless, the deadlock was broken in the fifth minute of the second half. The goal came when Urawa’s HASHIOKA Daiki carried the ball up the right flank before sending a fast driven cross towards the centre. It was KOROKI Shinzo who got to the end of this delivery as he sent a header into the Guangzhou goal. For the Japanese striker, this was his eighth ACL goal this season, as he later mentioned, “We knew that if kept the first half scoreless, our opponent would have to press forward in the second half.” With this away goal scored by Koroki, Urawa took a commanding lead in aggregate score, as they led 3-0 with 40 minutes left to play.

With their backs against the wall, Guangzhou increased their pressure upfront, as Elkeson and PAULINHO made multiple attempts to threaten the Urawa goal. In the 75th minute, Korean international, PARK Ji Soo struck a shot from midrange, followed by GAO Lin’s shot from the right side of the penalty area in the 82nd minute, but both attempts were saved by Nishikawa. The home side made their final efforts by sending long balls upfront, but Urawa managed to keep their composure until the final whistle, as the Japanese club clinched their third ACL final in franchise history.

Following the match, Koroki, who was named as the man of the match, commented with a big smile, “Since joining Urawa, I have never won at this stadium, so I am happy for this victory.” With Urawa winning the title in 2017, followed by Kashima Antlers in 2018, Urawa will seek to make it three in a row for Japanese clubs to take home the ACL title.

Urawa will face Al Hilal, who has won over Al Sadd SC (Qatar) with an aggregate score of 6-5 at the Western division semi-finals. The first leg will take place on Saturday 9 November at Riyadh, followed by the second leg on Sunday 24 November at Saitama.

Coach and Players' Comments

OTSUKI Tsuyoshi, Coach (Urawa Red Diamonds)
We are so glad that we have clinched the final. Many fans have come to support us in this match and helped us reach a higher level. We are so grateful for everyone’s support. I am also proud of the outstanding performance showcased by my players. The shutout victory at home has really given us an edge in the second leg. The opponent’s starting line-up and their system change was within our expectation. My voice cannot be heard at this stadium, so the players had to make their own decisions on the field, and they worked very well as a team to earn this result.

GK #1 NISHIKAWA Shusaku (Urawa Red Diamonds)
We knew our opponent was going to come out with great aggression from the start, so we entered the match with a strong determination to contain their offence while anticipating for our own chances. I was able to enjoy the away atmosphere while keeping my focus for the entire 90 minutes. As long as we keep a clean sheet, I knew our offence was going to score for us, so I kept my faith in my teammates. Even if I can’t play in the final (due to cumulative warnings), we have three other solid goalkeepers, so I will continue to work with them and support the team. We would like to win this ACL title and advance to the FIFA Club World Cup as the Asian champions.

DF #4 SUZUKI Daisuke (Urawa Red Diamonds)
Although we gave up some close opportunities to our opponent in the first half, we played tenacious defence to eliminate the threats and keep a clean sheet. We knew that the game would open up in the second half, so we anticipated for our opportunities to counterattack. I have experienced losing to Guangzhou at the semi-finals in 2013, so personally, this is a very satisfying win and I hope we can carry this momentum into the final.

DF #31 IWANAMI Takuya (Urawa Red Diamonds)
The fact that we were able to keep a clean sheet in consecutive matches against a strong team like Guangzhou gives us great confidence. Knowing that our opponent hasn’t lost a home game for over 20 ACL matches gave us more motivation to win this match. We would have advanced with a draw or even a 0-1 loss, but we were focused on winning this match. We gave up some close opportunities in the first half, and the result could have gone either way if we had conceded a goal during that stretch. It’s great that we managed to keep a clean sheet, but we gave up too many opportunities today. This shutout victory is exactly what we needed, so we hope to carry this momentum into our league matches.

MF #27 HASHIOKA Daiki (Urawa Red Diamonds)
(Regarding the assist) It was a play we have been working in our training sessions, and it came out naturally in that scene. I tried out different types of crosses to keep our opponent guessing. Two years ago, I was watching the ACL final on TV. This time I will be playing on that stage, and I am thrilled to be in this situation.

FW #30 KOROKI Shinzo (Urawa Red Diamonds)
This was my third time playing at this stadium since joining Urawa, and it was my first victory here. Close to 1,000 fans came to support us and they gave us great energy in this match, so we really wanted to deliver a positive result for those fans. By scoring a goal, our opponent had to score four goals to advance, so that was a huge goal for us. My teammates told me after the match that “That goal gave us a huge breathing room,” so I am glad I was able to score that goal.

Tournament Dates:
Play-offs: Tue. 5 - Tue. 19 February 2019
Group Stage: Mon. 4 March - Wed. 22 May 2019
Round of 16: Tue. 18 June - Tue. 13 August 2019
Quarterfinals: Tue. 27 August - Wed. 18 September 2019
Semi-finals: Tue. 1 - Wed. 23 October 2019
Final: 1st Leg/Sat. 9 November 2019, 2nd Leg/Sun. 24 November 2019

Tournament Information