The second group stage matches of the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2019 took place on Wednesday 13 March. In Group H, Kawasaki Frontale won their first match of the tournament by defeating Sydney FC (Australia) 1-0 at home, while in Group G, Urawa Red Diamonds drew an away match against Beijing Sinobo Guoan (China PR) 0-0 to add a point to their tally.

Kawasaki's late substitute, Saito scores deciding goal

After dropping their first match of the tournament away from home, the J. League Champions came off a shaky start in their first home match. With Sydney FC applying quick pressure to the ball, Kawasaki struggled to pick up their pace and made numbers of uncharacteristic mistakes. While the team endured a frustrating stretch in the early minutes, it was TANAKA Ao and HASEGAWA Tatsuya who generated the chances for Kawasaki.

In the 20th minute, Leandro DAMIAO carried the ball up from a counter attack and struck a shot just outside the box, but his attempt was saved by the Sydney goalkeeper. Hasegawa followed in the 27th minute when he broke through the left side, but his effort also came short from finding the net. With both teams seeking for their first win of the competition, it was the Sydney side who showed a better tempo, as they moved the ball effectively to create their opportunities. Just passed the 30th minute mark, Michael ZULLO and Milos NINKOVIC combined well in the left flank to penetrate the penalty area, allowing Zullo to fire a shot, but the shot was cleared by the Kawasaki defence.

Following a scoreless first half, Kawasaki continued to attack the left flank in the second half. In the 58th minute, Hasegawa attempted another shot, but his shot was once again denied by the goalkeeper. In efforts to break the deadlock, the home side sent out SUZUKI Yuto and CHINEN Kei into the match, just around the 60th minute mark. A close opportunity came Kawasaki’s way in the 75th minute, when Tanaka broke through the centre before striking a shot. It was KOBAYASHI Yu who responded to the deflection of this shot, but the striker failed to convert the chance.

Just a minute later, Kobayashi connected with Hasegawa’s cross and fired a header, only to see his shot saved by the goalkeeper. With just 10 minutes left on the clock, Kawasaki brought in SAITO Manabu for Hasegawa. The late substitute responded quickly as he connected with the delivery of NAKAMURA Kengo just two minutes after being introduced to the match. The right-footed shot struck by the 29 year-old midfielder gave Kawasaki their long-awaited goal, as Saito later reflected, “I was keen to score a goal and intentionally positioned myself in the central area.” The goal scored by Saito turned out to be the deciding goal, as Kawasaki kept their lead until the final whistle to earn their first win of the tournament.

Kawasaki will now face an away match against Ulsan Hyundai (Korea Republic) on Wednesday 10 April. On this day, Ulsan has also earned their first victory by defeating Shanghai SIPG (China PR) 1-0 at home. With this result, Ulsan became the group leader with four points, while Shanghai and Kawasaki shared three points each, and Sydney in last place with their two losses.

Urawa earns a point in an away match

In a match between the Emperor's Cup Champions Urawa and the Chinese FA Cup Champions Beijing Sinobo Guoan, the visiting Urawa side showcased a persistent performance to finish the match in a scoreless draw.

Coming off their J. League match against Matsumoto Yamaga in the weekend, Urawa made two changes to their line-up. With the team earning their first league win of the season in the previous match, Urawa planned to carry their momentum into the ACL.

It was the home side who took control of the match, as their attackers Cedric BAKAMBU, Renato AUGUSTO, and Jonathan VIERA constructed their offence, leaving Urawa pinned in their own half. However, the three-time ACL champions showcased great persistency, as Japan National Team member MAKINO Tomoaki, along with MAURICIO, IWANAMI Takuya, and goalkeeper NISHIKAWA Shusaku performed superbly to keep the score intact. Urawa’s second half substitutes, SHIBATO Kai, SUGIMOTO Kenyu, and ABE Yuki also helped out the team with their hard work to maintain the clean sheet.

By adding a point to their tally, Urawa kept the top spot of Group H with four points, while Buriram United (Thailand) stepped up in second place with their win over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (Korea Republic) at home. Despite having the same points as Buriram, Jeonbuk sits in third place with the Thailand side having the advantage in total goals scored. Urawa will now face Jeonbuk at home on Tuesday 9 April.

Coaches and Players' Comments

ONIKI Toru, Coach (Kawasaki Frontale)
I am glad that we were able to win at home and share the joy with our fans. Our second half substitutes did a great job. With all the pressure surrounding the match, we made many mistakes, but we kept on telling each other to show for the ball and that’s something we were able to do in the second half. Regardless of their positions, our players did well to make themselves available to receive the ball and that was effective especially after our opponents started to run out of gas.

MF SAITO Manabu (Kawasaki Frontale)
I am happy that I was able to earn results within the given playing time, but my overall performance was not so great, so I feel like I need to do a better job. When I scored the goal, I wasn’t necessarily calm. I think the ball deflected off an opponent, and the ball came towards me in a favourable way. I was fortunate to be in that position that allowed me to reach the ball faster than my opponent. I think this win means a lot for Frontale.

MF NAKAMURA Kengo (Kawasaki Frontale)
We have been drawing many of our J. League matches, and lost our first ACL match, so this win gives us a great boost to our confidence. It would have been better if we could have won the match with more goals, but that’s obviously easier said than done. The fact that we managed to win with a shutout has give our locker room a much more positive mood. We had some frustrating stretches, so hopefully, this will allow us to catch a good wave in the J. League as well.

Steve CORICA, Coach (Sydney FC)
Although we managed to defend well against the Kawasaki side who created many opportunities, we got exposed at the end and conceded a goal. We had two critical chances in the first half, and if we were able to convert those chances, the result might have been totally different. Kawasaki showcased a football style with many short passes and high possession executed by quality players. Their football is played in a style I have been striving for, and there were many things to learn from them. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t earn any points today, but with Ulsan winning their match, we can make it interesting by winning our next match.

Tournament Dates:
Play-offs: Tue. 5 - Tue. 19 February 2019
Group Stage: Mon. 4 March - Wed. 22 May 2019

Tournament Information