On Saturday 10 November, Kashima Antlers will face Persepolis in the second leg of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2018 Final at Teheran, Iran. With their win in the first leg which played out at their home stadium, Kashima will seek to capture their first ever Asian Title along with the ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup that will be held this December at UAE.

After making it into their first ACL final in eight tries, Kashima won the first leg 2-0 on Saturday 3 November with the help of their two Brazilians Leo SILVA and SERGINHO. With the win, Kashima can now take down the title with a draw or better. Even in case of a loss, they will be crowned as champions if they stay within a goal. As long as they score a goal, a loss with a two-goal margin will also give them the advantage in away goals to win the title. A loss with more than a three-goal margin will crown the Iranian side, while a 0-2 loss will send the match into overtime. Penalty kicks will be played ff the winner is not determined after overtime.

Kashima has a record of three wins, two draws, and a loss when playing away in this tournament. However, this second leg played in Azadi Stadium will present them with a unique challenge. The home stadium of Persepolis has the capacity to seat 80,000 spectators and averaged over 70,000 people showing up to their matches thus far at the ACL. The local fans will certainly be there at the final match to support the Iranian side who will be seeking for their first title in seven attempts.

In fact, Persepolis has been undefeated at home during this tournament, with a record of five wins and a draw. Their strengths at home were showcased especially at the knockout stage as they came from behind in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, after suffering an away loss in each occasion. The only thing different in the final is that, they are behind by two goals. In the previous two occasions, they were only down by a goal, so that can be a huge factor. However, Coach Branko IVANKOVIC showed his confidence ahead of the second leg, “We have the support of the 80,000 fans at home. We should be able to perform better in the second leg and earn the desired results.” Following the first leg, Persepolis has been given a special exemption from their domestic league and conducted a training camp to prepare themselves ahead of the second leg.

The Iranian League Champions who finished in the top four of last year’s ACL, suffered a loss of their midfielder Siamak NEMATI, after the player received two yellow-cards in the first leg. It is expected that Omid ALISHAH or Adam HEMATI will get the start to fill the vacancy. Midfielder Bashar RESAN and the left fullback Shayan MOSLEH will play a key role in their attack along with their striker Ali ALIPOUR, who has registered five goals at this tournament thus far. With the team’s back against the wall, they will certainly come out aggressively to attack from the beginning of the match. Their fast breaks initiated from the goalkeeper’s long feed will a threat that has to be recognised. Persepolis’s Nigerian forward Godwin MENSHA shared his aspiration ahead of the match, “We have not lost a match at home in this tournament. Alipour and I will score goals to capture the title at home.”

Kashima has gained more unity

Despite the unique atmosphere surrounding this away match, Kashima is fully aware of the situation, as Serginho shared his optimism, “There are things we can accomplish only in an away match. As a player, I am honoured to be in such situation.” With his experience of winning two ACL titles with the Korea Republic side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, goalkeeper KWON Sun-Tae shared his take, “Our ability to adjust to different surroundings, such as culture and cuisines, will be tested. We must forget about the lead we earned in the first leg and enter the second leg with a strong intention.” Considering the long travel and time difference, the team must take in consideration of how to recover within the short period time. In that regards, Kashima has rotated the entire starting line-up from the first leg, when they faced Kashiwa Reysol in their league match on Tuesday 6 November. Similar to what they’ve done against Cerezo Osaka on Wednesday 31 October ahead of the first leg. By utilising the young players at these interval matches, the team maintained their positive vibe while resting the core players. Also, ENDO Yasushi returned from injury in the match against Kashiwa, as he showcased quality plays to get himself involved in two of the team’s goal, adding another layer to the team roster.

The team struggled to adjust against the aggressive approach taken by Persepolis in the first leg, and Coach OIWA Go pointed out, “We must not enter the match with a passive approach, but rather take an aggressive approach to start the match.” Leo Silva, who excelled at the home match in both offence and defence, stated, “We must keep our composure even at an away match. We must enter the match with great concentration and strong mentality to fight through the tough match.” Serginho, who has scored in five consecutive matches, has shown great combination with SUZUKI Yuma and DOI Shoma. The Brazilian explained the reason behind his success, “Many people has given me their trust. Their trust has allowed me to become a part of the team and score goals. But I believe they are goals scored by the team, so we will continue to score goals as a team and win the title.” Ahead of the big match, Coach Oiwa shared his confidence by stating, “The team has strengthened their unity as we play more matches together.”

Their first ever ACL title, which will also count as their 20th title in franchise history, will be at stake in the second leg. The team will enter Iran on Thursday 8 November ahead of the big match. The scheduled kick-off time is 18:30 local time on Saturday 10 November, which will be 00:00 Japan time on Sunday 11 November.

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