For the first time in club history, Vissel Kobe is making an appearance at the AFC Champions League (ACL). After advancing through the group stage as the leader of Group G, Kobe will face the runners-up of Group H, Shanghai SIPG (China PR), on Monday 7 December. All eyes will turn to Andres INIESTA when he leads the Kobe side to its first round of 16 appearance.

Kobe started off the year on a high note, as they claimed their first ever title by defeating Kashima at the Emperor's Cup final on Wednesday 1 January at the newly built Japan National Stadium. The club then defeated last season’s J1 champion, Yokohama FM at the FUJI XEROX SUPER CUP, followed by back to back victories at the ACL group stage, as they claimed victories over Johor Darul Ta'zim (Malaysia) and Suwon Samsung Bluewings (Korea Republic).

Despite being in great form, Kobe was forced to be side-lined, as all domestic and international competitions were postponed due to the effect of COVID-19. The club struggled to pick-up their momentum following the league restart, as they part ways with coach Thorsten FINK, introducing their former Sports Director MIURA Atsuhiro as their new coach. Under the new regime, Kobe got off to a hot start, as they won four consecutive matches, but re-entered the ACL competition in a midst of a five game losing streak.

In measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it was determined that all matches after restart will be played in Qatar, which forced Malaysian champion Johor Darul Ta'zim to withdraw from the competition, as the club was under a travel restriction set by the government. The withdrawal meant that Kobe would lose the three points earned from the Malaysian side, but despite the unfortunate situation, the Japanese club was in position to clinch the round of 16 with a win over Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao (China PR) in their third group stage match.

The likes of Iniesta and Thomas VERMAELEN were included in the starting line-up against Guangzhou, as coach Miura elected to go with their full squad, adding a little twist to their 4-2-3-1 formation, as he positioned NISHI Daigo in the right winger position rather than his normal fullback position. The match saw the Kobe side take control over the ball possession but struggled against the individual strengths showcased by the opposing players.

Although Kobe had struggled in their recent league matches, Iniesta showcased that there was nothing to worry about, as he thrived on the pitch. Kobe scored the opening goal just before halftime, as Iniesta assisted the goal of FURUHASHI Kyogo. After allowing Guangzhou to equalise with an own goal in the second half, DOUGLAS scored the go-ahead goal, followed by Iniesta’s wonderful goal that gave Kobe a 3-1 victory. With this win, Kobe clinched their spot into the knockout stage.

Rotating the squad based on the players’ condition

Although Kobe was in position to clinch the top spot of their group with a win over Guangzhou in the second leg, coach Miura elected to rotate their entire starting line-up, as they were scheduled to play their second leg with just a two day rest. Following the match, coach Miura mentioned, “I am prioritising the conditions of our players. We must prepare ourselves ahead of the round of 16.”

Kobe deployed some of their younger players in the starting line-up, but still managed to showcase a solid performance in the early minutes. However, after conceding a PK to Guangzhou in the 17th minute, which was converted by Anderson TALISCA, Kobe allowed ELKESON to score a goal from a FK in the 36th minute, giving the Chinese side a 2-0 lead at halftime. In efforts to rally back, coach Miura brought in YAMAGUCHI Hotaru at halftime, Douglas, Furuhashi, and Iniesta at the hour mark, but ended up losing the match 0-2. Despite the loss, players like ODA Yutaro were able to showcase their strong points, giving Kobe more options to chose from for their future matches.

While Kobe was given a five day interval ahead of their final group stage match, the fixture between Guangzhou and Suwon ended in a 1-1 draw, locking up the top spot for Kobe. Although the match against Suwon becoming a dead rubber, coach Miura started some of their core players, including Iniesta. With Suwon needing a win with at least a two goal margin, the Korean side deployed a 3-5-2 formation against Kobe’s 4-3-3 formation. After the two sides ended the first half scoreless, Suwon captured the opening goal in the 49th minute, when Kim Gun-hee converted a corner kick, followed by Lim Sang-hyub’s PK scored in the 68th minute. As a result, Suwon won the match 2-0 to clinch the round of 16 as the second place finisher of Group G.

With the team scheduled to play in matches with two day intervals, coach Miura rested Iniesta and Vermaelen after the first half, giving Furuhashi, Douglas, and SAKAI Gotoku some playing time during the second half to monitor their conditions.

On the road to win the AFC title, next stop: Round of 16

Looking back on the three matches played by Kobe after the restart, the fact that they managed to clinch their advancement to the knockout stage in their first match gave them a huge edge. Because of that, they were able to utilise the remaining two matches to condition themselves and work on their combinations ahead of the round of 16. It must have been a productive group stage for Kobe.

Despite losing two consecutive matches, Yamaguchi remained positive, “We will reset our minds and work to win our match at the round of 16.” Coach Miura also mentioned, “From here on, the loser will be eliminated, and we have prepared ourselves to make a deep run. We will thoroughly prepare ourselves ahead of the round of 16 and give our best efforts to win the match.”

Kobe’s ultimate goal is to win the Asian title. In order to achieve their goal, they must first win against Shanghai SIPG at the round of 16.

Tournament Information