April 17 – Japan’s Vissel Kobe were the first to book their place in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite Finals Jeddah with a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win over Qatar’s Al Sadd after the game ended a 3-3 draw.
Kobe will next play either defending champions Al Ahli Saudi FC from Saudi Arabia or challenger club Malaysia Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim, who play tonight at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. The semi final will be played Monday.
The Qataris made it through to the quarter finals after a penalty shoot-out win over Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal SFC in the Round of 16 three days ago in the West region’s final qualifiers rearranged following the disruption cause in the region by the USA’s war on Iran.
In the sixth minute, the Qatari side had the lead from a counterattack. Bobby Firmino’s backheel inside his own half found Claudinho and his first-time pass was shuttled forward to Akram Afif, who fed Rafa Mujica who finished from just inside the area.
By the 24th minute, Kobe had pulled level. Gotoku Sakai’s cross met the head of the unmarked Osako.
Sixteen minutes into the second half, Mujica scored his and Al Sadd’s second to put them back in front with another fine finish. Four minutes later another Al Sadd counterattack saw Akram Afif’s long pass from inside his own half released Mujica and the former Las Palmas forward put in Firmino who found the goal with a side-foot volley.
Kobe were scrambling to get back into the tie and with 16 minutes left Ideguchi pulled one back for Kobe with a right foot shot into the bottom corner. Muto levelled inside the last 10 minutes, nodding in Rikuto Hirose’s cross from the right.
With no more goals in extra time the match moved to penalties. Claudinho blazed his attempt over the bar leaving Jean Patric to fire the winner into the top corner.
“It is the mentality of Japanese teams to never give up,” said Kobe head coach Michael Skibbe. “We tried to score until the last second and even in the last second we have done it.”
“It was a very tough match especially because in the first 15, 20 minutes we showed too much respect to the opponent,” continued Skibbe. “We were not playing well.
“After that we were doing much better and we got lucky by scoring in the last minute the third goal, so we had another 30 minutes. In this our goalkeeper made two or three saves.”
The quarter finals continue tonight with Al Halal facing JDT, followed FC Machid Zelvia from Japan against Saudi’s Al Ittihadon Saturday, and Thailand’s Buriram United against the UAE’s Shabab Al Alhi on Sunday.
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