On Wednesday 3 October, Kashima Antlers won the first leg of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2018 semi-finals against Suwon Samsung Bluewings (Korea Republic) 3-2 at home, with UCHIDA Atsuto’s last-minute heroics.

After advancing to the ACL semi-finals for the first time in eight attempts, Kashima struggled against the pressure applied by Suwon in the early minutes of the match. In the second minute, Suwon’s Sang Hyeob IM penetrated the flank to earn a corner kick. The delivery from this corner kick deflected off Uchida and despite the efforts made by Kashima’s goalkeeper Sun Tae KWOUN, it was ruled that the ball crossed the goal line, giving the Suwon side the opening goal.

The two teams have faced each other in the group stage and shared a win apiece, but it was Suwon who came victorious in their last encounter at Kashima Stadium. The Korean side made their case to repeat its feat as they added to their tally just four minutes after the opening goal.

Suwon’s second goal came when Im applied pressure to force a turnover from the Kashima defenders, allowing Dejan DAMJANOVIC to collect the loose ball and penetrate the penalty area. His right footed shot pierced the near side of the Kashima goal to extend their lead to two goals.

Despite trailing by two goals, Kashima finally found their composure and started to seek for their opportunities as they moved the ball around.

In the 21st minute, SERGINHO received a pass from NAGAKI Ryota and delivered a cross towards SUZUKI Yuma at the centre. As Suzuki reacted to the delivery, Suwon’s defender Ho Ik JANG made an effort to clear the ball but ended up heading the ball into his own goal, giving Kashima their first goal.

Kashima came close to levelling the match in the 27th minute, when Serginho intercepted a pass to initiate their attack. Midfielder ABE Hiroki struck a shot at goal, but his attempt was blocked by the opposing defender.

Midfielder MISAO Kento stayed vocal on the pitch as he kept on telling his teammates to stay composed and execute their game plan against their opponents who were anticipating for their opportunity to counter attack.

Seeking for their first Asian title since winning the Asian Club Championship in 2002, Suwon made an attempt from the flank as they delivered a cross to Ki Hun YEOM, who fired a shot at goal, but the Kashima defenders showcased a persistent effort to block the shot.

In the second half, Kashima brought in ANZAI Koki for Abe in the 56th minute to strengthen their side attacks. More substitutions followed as DOI Shoma came in for Nagaki in the 72nd minute, while NISHI Daigo took the place for ENDO Yasushi in the 83rd minute.

Soon after being brought into the match, in the 84th minute, Nishi broke through the right flank after playing a give-and-go with Suzuki, before sending a cross towards the middle. Serginho was there at the far side to convert this opportunity to give Kashima the equaliser.

Now with the score tied at two apiece, Kashima kept on surging forward to take the lead, as Anzai struck the crossbar in the 87th minute, followed by a bicycle shot fired by Serginho in the 90th minute.

Kashima’s efforts were finally paid-off in the third minute of additional time when Serginho delivered the ball into the box from a freekick. The ball was initially cleared by the goalkeeper, but Uchida reacted to the loose ball and struck a shot. His first attempt was blocked by the opposing player, but his second attempt bounced off a player and found the back of the net.

After scoring the deciding goal, Uchida shared his thoughts ahead of the second leg scheduled on Wednesday 24 October, “You don’t get these kinds of opportunities that often, so we will make sure to capitalise on this opportunity as a team.”

With this win, Kashima can advance to the club’s first ever final with a win or a draw. Due to the away goal regulation, they can still advance with a loss if they lose by a goal and score more than three goals. In cases where they lose 0-1, 1-2, they will be eliminated, but if they lose with a score of 2-3, the match will enter extra time and possibly penalty shootouts if necessary.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

OIWA Go, Coach (Kashima Antlers)
The fact we conceded two goals in the early minutes of the match is something we must work on. There is no doubt that we need to make adjustments ahead of the second leg. However, I am proud of the team for fighting hard until the very end. I believe their strong willingness to win the match has led to this result. We knew that our opponents were going to come out attacking aggressively, but with this match being our first ACL match in a while, it took us a while to mentally adjust to the power and speed at this level. That is an aspect I had to cover prior to the match and I had to make sure our players were fully aware of the situation. We managed to make the adjustments in the second half and our players showcased what we have been working on in the training sessions. We hope to feed off of this match to perform well in our next match.

DF UCHIDA Atsuto (Kashima Antlers)
Even though we gave up two goals early in the match, it helped that we had plenty of time to recover and scoring the first goal in the first half gave us hope. We got together and huddled up before the start of the second half. Now that we have conceded two goals at home, we told each other that we must win or at least tie the match in order to survive. In the scene where I scored the goal, I knew I had to do something to convert the opportunity, so I shifted the ball a little before taking the shot.

DF YAMAMOTO Shuto (Kashima Antlers)
Our opponents came out attacking aggressively in the first 20 minutes of the match and it took us a while until we started to utilise the flanks effectively. I was involved in the play where we conceded the goal and even though I knew the opponents were coming towards me, I couldn’t stop them from scoring the goal. My approach was really bad, and I must not make such mistake ever again.

MF MISAO Kento (Kashima Antlers)
We couldn’t cope with our opponents’ aggression and speed at the start of the match and conceded two goals, but we kept on telling each other to stay composed and stick with our game plan. During halftime, we told each other to fight with more aggression in the second half. The fact that we kept on fighting until the very end has given us this 3-2 victory, but there are many aspects of our game that needs to improve. We are only half way through and we must have an even stronger intention to do well at an away match. We hope to perform better in the second leg and win the match.

Byeong Geun LEE, Coach (Suwon Samsung Bluewings)
Kashima performed very well, and I want to compliment the players from both sides. We intended to keep our pressure on in the second half, but perhaps we were too tired, our defence line dropped back and allowed Kashima to create opportunities. We managed to contain the mobility of the two forwards in the first half, but in the second half, Suzuki and Serginho started to utilise the space in the flanks to make it hard for us to respond against them. Even though we have dropped the match 2-3 after leading 2-0, I will tell my players to keep their heads up and prepare well ahead of the second leg. We will keep our focus to win the match so that we can advance to the final.

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

Tournament Information

Semi-final 2nd Leg
Wed. 24 October 19:00
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (Korea Republic) vs Kashima Antlers (Japan)
Match Venue: Suwon World Cup Stadium
Tournament Information