Wednesday 14 February saw the second day in the first Sec. of the AFC Champions League 2018 (ACL) East group stage. Kashima Antlers drew in their home game against Shanghai Shenhua (China PR) 1-1, while Cerezo Osaka won their away game against Jeju United (Korea Republic) 1-0 with midfielder MIZUNUMA Kota’s deciding shot just before the final whistle.

In Group H, Kashima was eager to start with a win at home in order to capture their first ever ACL title, however, they conceded a goal at the very beginning of the game.

Shanghai Shenhua, who won the Chinese FA Cup and are participating in this championship for the first time in seven years, struck the opener in the fourth minute. Midfielder Li Peng’s shot following a corner kick hit the crossbar, forward Obafemi Martins reacted to the loose ball and sent the ball across the penalty area. Kashima’s goalkeeper SOGAHATA Hitoshi stretched his hand to touch the ball, but midfielder Giovanni Moreno was able to tap the ball into the goal with a header.

Although Kashima fell behind early, they managed to keep their composure and passed the ball around well. Defender UCHIDA Atsuto, who came back from Germany after eight seasons, newly acquired defender ANZAI Koki, and a 19-year-old forward ABE Hiroki led the team in attacking from the flanks, creating numerous goal-scoring opportunities.

In the 30th minute, defender SHOJI Gen attempted a header off of a corner kick. Five minutes later, forward SUZUKI Yuma also got to the end of a cross delivered by UCHIDA, but neither could break the goal line.

Six minutes into the second half, midfielder ENDO Yasushi reacted to a deflection following a shot taken by SUZUKI. Endo shoved the ball into the goal with his chest, to level the match early in the second half.

Martins and defender Bai Jiajun of Shanghai Shenhua led the team to attack, but Kashima maintained their momentum. Midfielder DOI Shoma came off the bench in the 69th minute, followed by midfielder NAKAMURA Atsutaka in the 82nd minute. The team fired a total of 21 shots throughout the match, including NAKAMURA‘s in the 85th minute and midfielder Leo Silva’s shot off of a pass-and-go with Suzuki in the 89th minute, but their efforts came short of taking the lead.

Suwon Samsung (Korea Republic) in the same group won an away game against Sydney FC (Australia) 2-0. As a result, Suwon earned three points to come out on top, followed by Kashima and Shanghai SIPG with one point each, and Sydney in fourth place. Kashima will play an away game in the coming Sec. against Suwon on Wednesday 21 February.

C Osaka scored the deciding goal just before the final whistle to lead the way

C Osaka, who won the Emperor's Cup last season, is participating in this championship for the third time and for the first time in four years. The team changed two players on their line-up from last weekend when they won the FUJI XEROX SUPER CUP, using midfielder Souza and defender KIMOTO Yasuki. Mid-way into the first half, MIZUNUMA and forward KAKITANI Yoichiro came close to scoring a goal, but Jeju, who reached the top 16 last year denied the Japanese side from scoring, and displayed an equally matched performance to level the competition.

In the 76th minute, forward Yang Dong Hyun of C Osaka came off the bench, followed by midfielder YAMAMURA Kazuya and forward TAKAGI Toshiyuki towards the end of the game in efforts to score a goal. In the third minute of injury time, MIZUNUMA made the run towards the loose ball created by TAKAGI’s shot and slotted the ball into the goal, giving his team the full three points.

Since Guangzhou Evergrande (China PR) in the same group drew with Buriram United (Thailand) 1-1, C Osaka are leading the group with three points after the first game. Both Guangzhou Evergrande and Buriram earned one point, followed by Jeju in fourth place. C Osaka will meet Guangzhou Evergrande at home on Wednesday 21 February.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

OIWA Go (Coach of Kashima Antlers)
It was unfortunate that the quality of shots were not there today, despite creating numerous goal-scoring opportunities. Having said that, the players performed extremely well from early on, except for the scene where we conceded the goal. The players displayed what we have been working on since our training camp. In terms of offence, they showed good variations, attacking from both inside and outside. The two new players who started the game, also played really well throughout the 90 minutes. As for the goal we gave up, we should have played with more certainty, especially when we lose the ball or in a loose ball situation. The players need to deepen their mutual understandings in preparation for the coming Sec, while working on improving the quality of attack in the final third.

DF UCHIDA Atsuto (Kashima Antlers)
It’s been a while since I last played, so I am glad that I got to play. I did much better than I expected. Having said that, it would have been better if we won the match. As it was our first game of this season, we looked a little stiff, but overall we put up a good fight. We should feel good about ourselves. Personally, I feel like I did okay with my passes, long-balls, and crosses. It was good that I played the whole match, but it’s too soon to say that I’ve fully returned. Neither the team nor I have won the ACL title, so we’re eager to earn one.

MF ENDO Yasushi (Kashima Antlers)
I am disappointed. We shouldn’t have conceded that goal. However, we did perform well after we conceded the goal, so we’d like to continue that. When I scored, I was hoping to receive the ball there. I’d like to create more opportunities with my teammates.

FW SUZUKI Yuma (Kashima Antlers)
We really wanted to win at home, so that was an unfortunate outcome. Our opponent showed solid defence inside, so we decided to attack through the wings. Although we managed to create numbers of goal-scoring opportunities, we couldn’t score. That’s the main reason for this result. We did well in getting passed our opponents, but the quality of shots needs to improve. This game reminded me once again that, we need to stay aggressive in all fifty-fifty balls in the ACL. Because once we lose those battles, teams can really take advantage of those opportunities.

Wu Jingui (Coach of Shanghai Shenhua)
It was a difficult match as Kashima showed a team effort in offence and solid defence, and they were the one’s controlling the match. But even under such circumstance, our players showed great efforts. Our goal today was to earn one point through this away match, and that’s what we got, so I am very pleased with the outcome. We were able to score a goal, and I have to say that it was a good start for us. We’ll build up from here to compete in further actions.

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

Tournament Information