The second leg of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2018 quarterfinals took place on Tuesday 18 September, where Kashima Antlers clinched their first ever advancement into the semi-finals of the ACL with a win over Tianjin Quanjian F.C. (China PR) 3-0 in Macau.

Following their 0-2 away loss to Kashima in the first leg, Tianjin started off the match with an aggressive approach, but the Kashima defence line led by their goalkeeper KWOUN Suntae showcased a solid performance to deny them from creating opportunities. Conversely, Kashima managed to score the opening goal in the 13th minute, when SERGINHO converted a corner kick delivered by ENDO Yasushi. With the precious away goal in hand, Kashima managed to take control of the match. With momentum on their side, Kashima delivered the second goal in the 27th minute, when UCHIDA Atsuto made an overlapping run in the right flank before sending a cross to ABE Hiroki, who capitalised on this chance to double their lead by halftime.

The second half saw both teams creating opportunities, but once again, it was the Kashima side who found the back of the net. In the 66th minute, Serginho delivered a pass to DOI Shoma who struck a superb shot with his left foot to nail the upper corner of the goal to extend their lead to 3-0. With a comfortable lead Kashima closed out the match with a clean sheet to secure their spot into the Semi-finals. Following the championship campaign displayed by Urawa Red Diamonds last year, Kashima represents the second Japanese team in two years to advance to the semi-finals.

In the other matches of the quarterfinals, Al Sadd SC (Qatar) tied their home match against Esteghlal F.C. (Iran) 2-2, but advanced to the semi-finals with an aggregate score of 5-3. Perspolis F.C. (Iran) won their home match 3-1 against Al-Duhail SC (Qatar) to secure their spot into the final-four with an aggregate score of 3-2. The remaining match between Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC will be played on Wednesday 19 September to determine who faces Kashima in the next round.

Coach and Player's Comments

OIWA Go, Coach (Kashima Antlers)
Tianjin Quanjian came out very aggressive in the first half, and we were forced to play a bit defensively, but the fact we managed to score the first two goals in the first half was huge for us. For the entire 90 minutes, the players executed exactly what we have prepared ahead of this match. I am very satisfied with our players’ performance today. I’d also like to thank all the supporters who made it all the way to Macau. We wouldn’t have won this match without your support. Thank you very much.

MF MISAO Kento (Kashima Antlers)
We managed to defend with great persistency in the early minutes of the match and scored the opening goal, which turned out to be huge for us. It had a major impact of the match especially because it was an away goal. We went onto score our second goal in the first half and grabbed the third goal after a shaky stint in the second half. We played hard until the very end as a team and managed to showcase a good performance in front of our fans who made it all the way here to support us.

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

Tournament Information