East division group stage of the AFC Champions League 2018 (ACL), started on Tuesday 13 February. J. League champion Kawasaki Frontale lost to Shanghai SIPG (China) 0-1 at home. Kashiwa Reysol, who has qualified through preliminary play-offs, was defeated by the two time champions, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (Korea Republic). Reysol lost the away match 2-3 despite being ahead 2-0 in the first half.

Kawasaki has made back to back tournament appearances, sixth overall, and first time as J. League champion. However, with this match being only their second official match of the season, the players looked out of sync and could not seem to keep possession. Defender NOBORIZATO Kyohei, who got the start in place for the suspended defender KURUMAYA Shintaro, penetrated the left flank to create chances, but no real threats were created.

Shanghai SIPG showed variety of attacks with players like Hulk and Oscar, both of whom has played for the Brazilian National team, Elkeson, and Chinese National team member WuLei. In the 23rd minute, a cross from the left flank found Elkeson in the penalty area. Elkeson controlled the ball brilliantly with his chest before taking the shot with his right foot. The shot was deflected by Kawasaki’s goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong, but eventually found the net after hitting the post.

10 minutes after the opener, Kawasaki came back with a well-organised attack. Defender Elsinho went up the right flank before sending a cross to midfielder NAKAMURA Kengo who headed the ball, but the shot was blocked by Shanghai’s goalkeeper.

With the goal lead, Shanghai SIPG took very little risks, maintaining a well-balanced defence line and sought for counter-attacks as they held off Kawasaki’s offence.

However, the second half saw an active Kawasaki side who led their offence with their passing. In the 64th minute, forward KOBAYASHI Yu got to the end of midfielder IENAGA Akihiro’s cross, Ienaga also took a left footed shot in the 70th minute, but both opportunities came short of producing the equaliser.

Kawasaki would then substitute Nakamura for midfielder ABE Hiroyuki to change the formation up front. Abe and midfielder OSHIMA Ryota tried to score from crosses from the flank, but could not capitalise.

Shanghai had their chances in the second half as well. Elkeson tried converting a cross in the 74th minute, while Wu penetrated the penalty area in the 78th minute in attempts to cut a cross in, but with the help of the superb saves made by goalkeeper Jung, Kawasaki’s defence kept Shanghai from scoring another goal. However, Kawasaki could not score the equaliser, and dropped the first game 1-0.

The other match of Group F saw Melbourne Victory (Australia) facing Ulsan Hyundai (Korea Republic). The match was played in the Australian side’s home and it ended in a 3-3 tie. After the first match, Shanghai SIPG is now on top of the group. Ulsan Hyundai is in second and Melbourne in third. Kawasaki is now in fourth and they will play an away game against Ulsan Hyundai on Tuesday 20 February.

Kashiwa comes out empty handed after conceding 3 goals in second half

In Group E, Kashiwa faced Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, an opponent in which they have beaten five times in the past six encounters. Kashiwa came out scoring two goals in the first half, but conceded three goals in the second half, leaving themselves with zero points in the group table.

In the 10th minute of the first half, forward Ramon Lopes scored the opening goal. In the 27th minute, newly acquired midfielder ESAKA Ataru, scored their second goal. With Esaka’s first goal as a member of Kashiwa, they ended the first half with a 2-0 lead.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who has won its second ACL title in 2016, came back roaring in the second half. In the 55th minute, forward Lee Dong-Gook capitalised from a corner-kick, while Kim Jin-Su scored the equaliser from a free-kick in the 75th minute. Then in the 84th minute, Lee scored once again to take the lead, and the game finished with a comeback victory for the Korean side.

In the other match, Tianjin Quanjian (China) took down Kitchee (Hong Kong) 3-0 at home. As a result, Tianjin leads the way in group E, Jeonbuk Hyundai is in second, Kashiwa in third, and Kitchee in fourth. Kashiwa will play against Tianjin Quanjian at home on Tuesday 20 February.

On Wednesday 14 February, the winner of the Emperor’s Cup Cerezo Osaka will play against Jeju United (Korea Republic) in an away game, whereas Kashima Antlers will face Shanghai Shenhua (China) at home.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

ONIKI Toru, Coach (Kawasaki Frontale)
It is very disappointing that we couldn’t earn the three points we wanted in the home opener. We had the opportunities to score, but we did not capitalise. There were many scenes where we could have been more aggressive. We were hesitant in making turns and we seemed to play scared of the counter attacks. As a result, we lacked offence in the final third. However, the players showed good transition after losing possession, and understood how to defend against the opposing forwards. In terms of offence, we did manage to show our willingness to score, and kept an aggressive attitude, so that’s something positive we can take back. We need to feed off of this result, stay patient, and take each games one at a time.

MF NAKAMURA Kengo (Kawasaki Frontale)
Our opponent score with their one opportunity, whereas we did not. If you don’t convert the chances you get, this is the result you get in return. I had a chance that I feel like I had to score, and if that had gone in, we would have gotten the momentum to control the game. The buildup up until that point was great, so I feel bad for our defence. We have gotten better since our last game, so we’ll work on our offensive shape and improve on our overall performances.

FW KOBAYASHI Yu (Kawasaki Frontale)
Our condition has been much better and I’m sure that we all feel more positive about how we played today compared to the first match of this season. So, I am pretty optimistic. It was a difficult match and of course I wanted to win the game at home, but I am just excited to play in the ACL again. We will improve our conditions, both as a team and as individuals, so that we can put up a good result.

Vítor Pereira, Coach (Shanghai SIPG)
This is a good result. Kawasaki is a team with good techniques and they can possess the ball very well, so we prepared ourselves to put more emphasis on defense. We kept ourselves compact and created chances from counter-attacks. I’m sure that Kawasaki struggled against our tactics. Until last week, Oscar was injured, and Hulk was not in good condition, but our medical staffs made it possible for them to play today. Elkeson worked very well, and I am not only referring to his goal, but he showed great efforts overall. Hulk also played well for the team as the captain.

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

Tournament Information