The AFC Champions League (ACL) 2017 saw its third group-stage matches take place on Tuesday 14 March. Kashima Antlers moved up to the top of their group with their second 2017 ACL win after comfortably seeing off Australian side Brisbane Roar 3-0. Meanwhile, Kawasaki Frontale drew with 2015 ACL champions Guangzhou Evergrande (China) 1-1 on the road.

As the cold rain continued to fall, Kashima boss ISHII Masatada sent season debutant SOGAHATA Hitoshi as the goalkeeper and SUZUKI Yuma, who started for the first time after six matches, as a striker. Kashima took the initiative early on, threatening the opponents with efforts by midfielder DOI Shoma in the 18th minute, KANAZAKI Mu in the 21st minute and ENDO Yasushi in the 34th and 40th minutes.

Brisbane, who had been winless in the group stage so far, looked for their first win with right winger Brandon BORRELLO and second striker Brett HOLMAN leading the offence in build-ups by stringing passes in midfield and feeding or crossing the ball to centre forward Jamie MACLAREN.

The Australian side came close to Kashima’s goal when Holman fired at goal off a cross in the 26th minute and defender Avraam PAPADOPOULOS made his scoring attempt reacting to a long ball in the 33rd minute, but Kashima goalkeeper Sogahata coped well and did not allow the opponents to find the back of the net.

Kashima's opening goal came in the 43rd minute, when forward SUZUKI Yuma volleyed defender ITO Yukitoshi's cross with his right foot, successfully hitting the target in the past two games.

Early in the second half, Brisbane tried to rally back with shots by Papadopoulos from a free kick in the 50th minute and Borrello from range four minutes later. Both efforts from the Australian club were denied again by the Japanese keeper.

Kashima’s offence was invigorated after Ogasawara came off the bench in the 62nd minute, and the match clearly saw the momentum shifts towards the J. League club. Then, defender UEDA Naomichi’s header attempt off a corner kick in the 76th minute was fumbled by the Brisbane goalkeeper and Ueda himself tapped the loose ball into the net for his team's second goal of the game and his first goal of the season. Furthermore, in the 80th minute, Endo rushed down the right and put home a powerful left-footer to further extend the lead for the Japanese side. Goal tally ended as both teams failed to change the scoreline in the last 10 minutes and Kashima secured a commanding win 3-0 over the Australian counterparts.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

As Muangthong United (Thailand) held Ulsan Hyundai (Korea Republic) to a scoreless draw on the road, Kashima climbed to top of Group E with six points after two wins and one loss. The first half of the group stage finished with Muangthong following Kashima with five points, Ulsan with four points and Brisbane with one point in the fourth place.

Kawasaki Frontale snatch draw with late goal

Kawasaki Frontale, striving for a victory after two draws in the recent two group-stage matches, faced at home Group G leaders Guangzhou Evergrande, who claimed the ACL title in 2013 and 2015. With defender NARA Tatsuki and forward RHAYNER missing the match due to suspension, the Japanese side struggled against Guangzhou, who came out aggressively and threatened Kawasaki’s goal. The Chinese side hit on the counter and forward ALAN netted home an opener in the 26th minute. The match turned out to see Kawasaki having a difficult time to come back from one goal behind for the majority of the game.

Kawasaki coach ONIKI Toru reacted immediately, subbing in forward MORIMOTO Takayuki for defender ITAKURA Ko in the 34th minute. The team occasionally came close to the opposing goal but were unable to find the target.

Nothing changed in the second half as Kawasaki saw the Chinese counterparts continue to display their potent attacking power, and had to endure long stretches of arduous defending on their own end. Moreover, J League club’s woes deepened as defender IGAWA Yusuke was forced off the pitch due to injury in the 60th minute. Despite all the adversities, the hosts played with composure and started to create more scoring chances in front of goal including forward KOBAYASHI Yu's attempt hitting the crossbar in the 70th minute.

Kawasaki brought in midfielder MIYOSHI Koji in the 80th minute to further strengthen their attacking arsenal and the much-awaited goal came in added time of the second half. Penalty was awarded to the Japanese side after an Evergrande handball inside the box, and Kobayashi successfully converted the spot kick to level the match and secure his team a valuable point in the end.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

Kawasaki now stand in third place with three points after three straight draws. A 1-0 win over Eastern SC in Hong Kong put Suwon Samsung Bluewings level on five points with Guangzhou, but remain in second on goal difference. Guangzhou top the group, while Eastern stay in fourth.

On Wednesday 15 March, Gamba Osaka face Jiangsu Suning at home, while Urawa Reds play an away match against Shanghai SIPG.

Coach's and Players' Comments

ISHII Masatada, Coach (Kashima Antlers)
In the first half, partly due to fatigue from weekend J. League match, my players started slowly. However, scoring one goal even under difficult circumstances changed the course of the match in our favour. In the second half, we managed to organise our defence effectively, and on offence we created quite a few chances and scored multiple goals. Despite changing the starting line-ups, the subbed-in players rose up to the occasion and performed superbly. As a result, we played brilliantly as a team as well. We were looking to capture the full nine points in the first half of the group stage, but we missed three points by losing against Muangthong on the previous matchday. Thus, we are not completely satisfied with the results so far. But considering that we will face Brisbane away from home next, I am content we posted a win today.

FW SUZUKI Yuma (Kashima Antlers)
I am satisfied that we secured a much-needed win today. Speaking of my goal, all I had to do was to tap in an excellent delivery into the net. Ito and I practise often together after our team practices, and I believe this helped us deepen the understanding of what each other want to do on the pitch. I feel like I have already made amends for the missed penalty on the previous matchday, but I will seek for more goals and continue to make contributions to the team.

DF UEDA Naomichi (Kashima Antlers)
In the first half, there were stretches where we had to play at their pace. Thus, we needed to raise the level of our performance and play more consistently just like we did in the second half. Sogahata and I have played together for a long time. He guides us from the goal line by raising his voice and giving pertinent instructions at all times. Thanks to his leadership, we were able to defend effectively and keep a clean sheet today.

GK SOGAHATA Hitoshi (Kashima Antlers)
We had to play under difficult condition with wind and rain, and not all the things went well for us. But we all stayed patient during tough stretches and displayed resilience to compete until the end of the match. It’s been a while since my last appearance, but I came out and performed as I normally do. Considering the two away matches in the second half of the group stage, we surely needed to win this match and secure three points.

John ALOISI, Coach (Brisbane Roar)
I am not satisfied having only a single point after three matches in the first half of the group stage. We went through a very tough stretch with tight schedule and injuries, but we entered the match refreshed and performed well until the 60-minute mark. In the first half, we limited their chances and created our own. However, Kashima gained confidence after scoring their second goal, while we ended up showing frailty towards the end of the match. We still have matches at home, where we have performed well and posted excellent record. I believe we still have a chance to advance if we win all the home games.

Tournament Information：24 January 2017 (Tue.) ～ 25 November 2017 (Sat.)

Group F
15 March 2017 (Wed.) Kick-off 19:30 (TBC) ＜Local Time＞
Shanghai Stadium
Shanghai SIPG (China) vs Urawa Reds (Japan)

Group H
15 March 2017 (Wed.) Kick-off 19:00 (TBC)
Suita City Football Stadium
Gamba Osaka (Japan) vs Jiangsu Suning (China)

More Information