Wednesday 21 February saw the second Sec. of the AFC Champions League 2018 (ACL) group stage. Cerezo Osaka in Group G drew 0-0 with Chinese powerhouse, Guangzhou Evergrande, while Kashima Antlers defeated Suwon Samsung Bluewings (Korea Republic) 2-1. With this victory, Kashima took the lead in their group.

After beating Jeju United (Korea Republic) in their first match, Cerezo Osaka were in search for their second consecutive victory. However, Guangzhou, the two time ACL champions, came out attacking tenaciously from early on, forcing C Osaka to endure a tough stretch.

Guangzhou showed quick transitions from turnovers. Former Brazilian National Team forward Ricardo Goulart led ways in their attacks, along with fellow Brazilian forward Alan, Chinese National Team forward Gao Lin, and midfielder Zheng Long. Although their attempts were defended by C Osaka's goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon, Alan and Gao both came close to scoring the goal in the 14th and 24th minute respectively.

Considering the players conditions, rotations, and the opponents' height, Cerezo Osaka decided to start forwards YAMAMURA Kazuya and Yang Dong-Hyun for this match. However, they couldn't seem to link with each other well, losing possession in midfield. Even while struggling to find their rhythm in offence, midfielder Souza did manage to strike a shot at goal in the 23rd minute, but was denied by the opposing goalkeeper.

Cerezo Osaka were able to pick up their momentum as Guangzhou's pace slowed down in the second half. As they gained more possession in midfield, the Osaka side replaced forward TAKAGI Toshiyuki, who has started for the first time since joining the club, with forward KAKITANI Yoichiro. After the substitution, the team saw a definite gain in momentum as Kakitani attempted to penetrate the penalty area in the 78th and 82nd minute.

In the 83rd minute, forward SUGIMOTO Kenyu was brought on to the pitch. Just five minutes later, Sugimoto came within inches to score with his header, following a cross delivered by Kakitani. But the shot was blocked by the goalkeeper.

The game ended in a scoreless draw, leaving C Osaka in first place in their group with four points. In the other game in group G, Jeju United defeated Buriram United (Thailand) 2-0, earning three points to put themselves in second place. With two ties Guangzhou Evergrande ranks third, while Buriram in fourth with one point. C Osaka will now play an away match against Buriram on Tuesday 6 March.

Kanazaki's brace lifts Kashima

Kashima who drew their first match against Chinese Shanghai Shenhua at home, faced Suwon Samsung Bluewings in an away match. With the help of their forward KANAZAKI Mu's brace, Kashima picked up three points.

Kashima elected to start Kanazaki, who missed the previous match due to illness, goalkeeper Kwoun Sun-Tae, and defender YAMAMOTO Shuto for the first time this season. In the 8th minute, midfielder ENDO Yasushi sent the ball towards the centre after receiving the ball from SUZUKI Yuma. Kanazaki got to the end of this feed, scoring the team's first goal with his right foot. In the 59th minute, Suzuki's header following a corner kick, found Kanazaki in front of the goal, who converted the opportunity to give Kashima a 2-0 lead.

Suwon who qualified through the preliminary play-offs, came into the match leading the group after beating Sydney FC in the previous match. In the 25th minute, they earned a penalty kick, but forward Dejan Damjanovic's shot was blocked by Kwoun. Kashima allowed midfielder Cristovam to score a goal in the last minutes of the match, but kept Suwon with this one goal and locked up their first victory of the season.

With this win, Kashima now has four points and sits at top of Group H, switching spots with Suwon who now sits at second place. On the same day Shanghai Shenhua drew against Sydney FC 2-2, putting themselves in third place with two points. Sydney FC earned one point and are in fourth place. Kashima will now play against Sydney FC in Australia on Wednesday 7 March.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

Jong-Hwan Yoon, Coach (Cerezo Osaka)
It was our first home match of the season, and lots of fans came out to show their support. It's very regretful that we couldn't win the match in front of these fans. We just couldn't finish, and that was the main reason we tied today. In the first half, we saw some uncharacteristic errors from our side, but we managed to keep our opponents scoreless, so that was good. The two forwards we played today, didn't seem to work well with each other, but they showed some potential, and overall they weren't that bad. Sugimoto and Kakitani both showed great attitudes, and I felt that if our whole team played in good condition, we'll keep improving. We'll look at it as we gained a point instead of losing two points. We'll feed off of this match and do our best to compete in both the ACL and J. League.

MF MIZUNUMA Kota (Cerezo Osaka)
We managed to keep a clean sheet, and at the end of the day, we didn't lose, so that was good. In the first half, the game could have gone either way and it was difficult to settle the ball. We need to improve so that we can score when we have the chance to do so.

FW KAKITANI Yoichiro (Cerezo Osaka)
Our team ran hard and kept a good pace. I felt like there were less pressure on my side, and I could have exploited that, but couldn't capitalise, so I feel bad for my team. But knowing that Guangzhou Evergrande is one the best teams in Asia, we put up a good fight against them, and that should be a confidence booster for us. 0-0 is not a bad result, but we want to stay humble and keep playing hard.

Fabio Cannavaro, Coach (Guangzhou Evergrande)
I am not happy with the fact we have only earned two points in two games. But we did show quality plays, and our balance between our forwards, midfielders, and defenders has shown improvements over the matches. We created good chances, and even though we tied 0-0, we displayed our strengths. We were the better team out of the two today, and I'm not worried.

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

Tournament Information