Showing posts with label AFC Champions League. Show all posts

Guangzhou Evergrande 1-2 Buriram United

Written by Vishal Patel in


Guangzhou: Frank Acheampong struck 12 minutes from time to earn Buriram United a well-deserved 2-1 victory over Guangzhou Evergrande on Wednesday evening as the Thai Premier League champions moved to the top of the standings in Group H of the AFC Champions League.

Buriram’s win was the first ever in the AFC Champions League by a Thai club in China and it was the young Ghanaian who was the architect of the victory, scoring the winner as well as earning the penalty that gave his side the lead first time around.

Acheampong’s pace was the undoing of the Guangzhou defence, with the 18-year-old tormenting Zhang Linpeng to such an extent that he was taken off by coach Lee Jang-soo after just 35 minutes.

By that stage, Acheampong had already seen a goal-bound effort cleared off the line by Zheng Zhi after he skillfully found his way around goalkeeper Yang Jun in the 16th minute.

It was his direct running that earned Buriram their penalty as Acheampong seared into the area and was brought down by Yang, with Suchao Nutnum firing the resulting spot into the top corner to give Buriram the lead in the 62nd minute.

Guangzhou came back via a towering header from Brazilian striker Cleo as he latched onto an in- swinging cross by his compatriot Muriqui eight minutes later, only for Acheampong to prod the ball over the line after Frank Ohandza’s cross in the 78th minute and maintain Buriram’s perfect start to their first-ever AFC Champions League campaign.

“I’m very happy we won,” said Buriram coach Attaphol Puspakom. “In the face of such a strong opponent we thought before the game that we could only score once, but today we managed two and hopefully we can do better in the future.

“Before the game we thought Muriqui, Cleo and Dario Conca were very strong opponents but after 10 minutes of the game we thought that these players made no contribution to the team. In the Thai Premier League there are a lot of players at the same level as them.

“We watched a lot of videos of Guangzhou Evergrande before the game and every team player had a full understanding that Guangzhou Evergrande are not very good at scoring goals.”

Guangzhou coach Lee Jang-soo tried to remain optimistic after a loss that leaves his team on three points from their opening two AFC Champions League matches.

“If we had won or drawn this game we would have more confidence to face our next opponents, Kashiwa,” he said. “Then, when we come back to Guangzhou, all the conditions would have been favourable.

“But there are still a lot of chances because there are four matches left and anything can happen. We need to focus on our preparations for the upcoming games.”

Kashiwa Reysol 5-1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

Written by Vishal Patel in


Kashiwa: Korean champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors slipped to a second straight 5-1 hammering as last year’s AFC Champions League finalists were comprehensively beaten by J.League champions Kashiwa Reysol in Group H on Wednesday evening.


The 2011 K-League winners had lost their opening match of the 2012 continental campaign by the same scoreline to Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande and the Lee Heung-sil-coached side now look in real danger of not progressing to the knockout phase.


Three goals in a five-minute burst in the first half condemned Jeonbuk, and the margin of defeat could have been greater but for Leandro Domingues’s missed penalty early in the second half.


Daisuke Nasu gave Kashiwa the lead in the 40th minute as he headed home Jorge Wagner’s free kick from the left and five minutes later it was 2-0 as Leandro converted from the spot. 


With barely seconds remaining in the half, Leandro struck again, this time with an exquisite finish from 25 yards that flew over the head of goalkeeper Lee Bum-soo.


Chinese international midfielder Huang Bowen pulled one back for Jeonbuk six minutes after the restart but goals from Junya Tanaka and Akimi Barada ensured Reysol bounced back from their Matchday One loss to Buriram United in emphatic style.


“After losing away in our first AFC Champions League game, we had a big responsibility to do well at home in our second game this time,” said Reysol coach Nelsinho. 


“We knew it would be a tough game to play against Jeonbuk, but we put on a good performance as a team and as individuals from the first half.


“We actually could have scored more goals in the second half. But the most important thing today was to produce a result in order to get through the group stage in the ACL. I am glad that we got the result today.”


The loss was Jeonbuk’s second heavy defeat in a row in the AFC Champions League and coach Lee is concerned the result might have a linger effect on his players.


“We still have four games in the ACL and will play those games with our best effort,” he said. “We first have to play this weekend in the K-League and our players may have lost their confidence after losing 5-1.”

Central Coast Mariners 1-1 Nagoya Grampus

Written by Vishal Patel in

Gosford:  A-League leaders Central Coast Mariners missed out a first win in the AFC Champions League as Japan’s Nagoya Grampus survived to claim a 1-1 draw at Central Coast Stadium on Wednesday. 

Nagoya had taken a deserved lead through Marcus Tulio Tanaka’s close range finish after 21 minutes, only for Patrick Zwaanswijk’s towering header to pull the Mariners level seven minutes later. 

And with the home side nullifying the threat of Nagoya’s Australia striker Josh Kennedy, the Mariners kept the visitors on the back foot for the majority of the second 45 minutes as the home side pressed to follow up the goalless draw with China’s Tianjin Teda.
But the Mariners, who have drawn three and lost four of their previous outings in the AFC Champions League, failed to find a way past Seigo Narazaki with the impressive Oliver Bozanic and Mustafa Amini both coming close in the second half as both sides were forced to settle for a second consecutive draw in Group G.

“I cannot be prouder. We had four or five kids out there, 18 and 19 year olds, and they were superb. I thought we played fantastic football,” said Mariners coach Graham Arnold, who will see his side lift the A-League Premier’s Plate with victory over Wellington Phoenix in the final game of the regular season on Sunday. 

“I changed the system slightly and we played with two number 10s and we had a five against three or four against three advantage in midfield which made it very difficult for them to shut us down. We knew they would try to press us, but we encouraged the boys to play a lot of short passes. 

“I thought the first half was good but the second half was really good and I thought we could have shaded it in the second half.”

Nagoya dominated possession in the opening exchanges and were rewarded after 21 minutes as Tanaka stabbed home from close range at the second attempt as Keiji Tamada’s low skidding front post cross found the onrushing veteran centre-back in between two Mariners defenders. 

But the lead lasted just seven minutes as Zwaanswijk out-jumped Nagoya defender Shohei Abe at the past post to direct a towering header from Bozanic’s cross past the despairing dive of visiting goalkeeper Narazaki.

And Bozanic almost created a second for the Mariners 12 minutes before half-time but Narazaki was quickly off his line to block at the feet of Troy Hearfield after the midfielder had ghosted in behind the Nagoya defence before Mariners goalkeeper Mathew Ryan flew across his goal to push away Abe’s dipping half-volley.
The lively Bozanic produced the first real chance of the second half as the midfielder’s strike following a strong run was pushed to safety by Narazaki midway through the second period. 

The home continued to press as Amini, who is on loan back at the Mariners from German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, drew a smart save from Narazaki but Nagoya survived to claim a point after sharing a 2-2 draw with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma two weeks ago.
“It was a very tough game for both sides, but I think a draw is the correct result,” said Nagoya coach Dragan Stojkovic.

“From a technical point of view, we played the better football, but the Mariners as a team didn’t give up. They are the leaders of the A-League and we have to respect that.
“Coming here a draw isn’t that bad of a result. They put us in difficult situations especially in the box area.”

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Showing posts with label AFC Champions League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AFC Champions League. Show all posts

Wednesday

Guangzhou Evergrande 1-2 Buriram United

Posted by Vishal Patel

Guangzhou: Frank Acheampong struck 12 minutes from time to earn Buriram United a well-deserved 2-1 victory over Guangzhou Evergrande on Wednesday evening as the Thai Premier League champions moved to the top of the standings in Group H of the AFC Champions League.

Buriram’s win was the first ever in the AFC Champions League by a Thai club in China and it was the young Ghanaian who was the architect of the victory, scoring the winner as well as earning the penalty that gave his side the lead first time around.

Acheampong’s pace was the undoing of the Guangzhou defence, with the 18-year-old tormenting Zhang Linpeng to such an extent that he was taken off by coach Lee Jang-soo after just 35 minutes.

By that stage, Acheampong had already seen a goal-bound effort cleared off the line by Zheng Zhi after he skillfully found his way around goalkeeper Yang Jun in the 16th minute.

It was his direct running that earned Buriram their penalty as Acheampong seared into the area and was brought down by Yang, with Suchao Nutnum firing the resulting spot into the top corner to give Buriram the lead in the 62nd minute.

Guangzhou came back via a towering header from Brazilian striker Cleo as he latched onto an in- swinging cross by his compatriot Muriqui eight minutes later, only for Acheampong to prod the ball over the line after Frank Ohandza’s cross in the 78th minute and maintain Buriram’s perfect start to their first-ever AFC Champions League campaign.

“I’m very happy we won,” said Buriram coach Attaphol Puspakom. “In the face of such a strong opponent we thought before the game that we could only score once, but today we managed two and hopefully we can do better in the future.

“Before the game we thought Muriqui, Cleo and Dario Conca were very strong opponents but after 10 minutes of the game we thought that these players made no contribution to the team. In the Thai Premier League there are a lot of players at the same level as them.

“We watched a lot of videos of Guangzhou Evergrande before the game and every team player had a full understanding that Guangzhou Evergrande are not very good at scoring goals.”

Guangzhou coach Lee Jang-soo tried to remain optimistic after a loss that leaves his team on three points from their opening two AFC Champions League matches.

“If we had won or drawn this game we would have more confidence to face our next opponents, Kashiwa,” he said. “Then, when we come back to Guangzhou, all the conditions would have been favourable.

“But there are still a lot of chances because there are four matches left and anything can happen. We need to focus on our preparations for the upcoming games.”
at 3/21/2012 0 comments

Kashiwa Reysol 5-1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

Posted by Vishal Patel

Kashiwa: Korean champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors slipped to a second straight 5-1 hammering as last year’s AFC Champions League finalists were comprehensively beaten by J.League champions Kashiwa Reysol in Group H on Wednesday evening.


The 2011 K-League winners had lost their opening match of the 2012 continental campaign by the same scoreline to Chinese Super League champions Guangzhou Evergrande and the Lee Heung-sil-coached side now look in real danger of not progressing to the knockout phase.


Three goals in a five-minute burst in the first half condemned Jeonbuk, and the margin of defeat could have been greater but for Leandro Domingues’s missed penalty early in the second half.


Daisuke Nasu gave Kashiwa the lead in the 40th minute as he headed home Jorge Wagner’s free kick from the left and five minutes later it was 2-0 as Leandro converted from the spot. 


With barely seconds remaining in the half, Leandro struck again, this time with an exquisite finish from 25 yards that flew over the head of goalkeeper Lee Bum-soo.


Chinese international midfielder Huang Bowen pulled one back for Jeonbuk six minutes after the restart but goals from Junya Tanaka and Akimi Barada ensured Reysol bounced back from their Matchday One loss to Buriram United in emphatic style.


“After losing away in our first AFC Champions League game, we had a big responsibility to do well at home in our second game this time,” said Reysol coach Nelsinho. 


“We knew it would be a tough game to play against Jeonbuk, but we put on a good performance as a team and as individuals from the first half.


“We actually could have scored more goals in the second half. But the most important thing today was to produce a result in order to get through the group stage in the ACL. I am glad that we got the result today.”


The loss was Jeonbuk’s second heavy defeat in a row in the AFC Champions League and coach Lee is concerned the result might have a linger effect on his players.


“We still have four games in the ACL and will play those games with our best effort,” he said. “We first have to play this weekend in the K-League and our players may have lost their confidence after losing 5-1.”
at 3/21/2012 0 comments

Central Coast Mariners 1-1 Nagoya Grampus

Posted by Vishal Patel
Gosford:  A-League leaders Central Coast Mariners missed out a first win in the AFC Champions League as Japan’s Nagoya Grampus survived to claim a 1-1 draw at Central Coast Stadium on Wednesday. 

Nagoya had taken a deserved lead through Marcus Tulio Tanaka’s close range finish after 21 minutes, only for Patrick Zwaanswijk’s towering header to pull the Mariners level seven minutes later. 

And with the home side nullifying the threat of Nagoya’s Australia striker Josh Kennedy, the Mariners kept the visitors on the back foot for the majority of the second 45 minutes as the home side pressed to follow up the goalless draw with China’s Tianjin Teda.
But the Mariners, who have drawn three and lost four of their previous outings in the AFC Champions League, failed to find a way past Seigo Narazaki with the impressive Oliver Bozanic and Mustafa Amini both coming close in the second half as both sides were forced to settle for a second consecutive draw in Group G.

“I cannot be prouder. We had four or five kids out there, 18 and 19 year olds, and they were superb. I thought we played fantastic football,” said Mariners coach Graham Arnold, who will see his side lift the A-League Premier’s Plate with victory over Wellington Phoenix in the final game of the regular season on Sunday. 

“I changed the system slightly and we played with two number 10s and we had a five against three or four against three advantage in midfield which made it very difficult for them to shut us down. We knew they would try to press us, but we encouraged the boys to play a lot of short passes. 

“I thought the first half was good but the second half was really good and I thought we could have shaded it in the second half.”

Nagoya dominated possession in the opening exchanges and were rewarded after 21 minutes as Tanaka stabbed home from close range at the second attempt as Keiji Tamada’s low skidding front post cross found the onrushing veteran centre-back in between two Mariners defenders. 

But the lead lasted just seven minutes as Zwaanswijk out-jumped Nagoya defender Shohei Abe at the past post to direct a towering header from Bozanic’s cross past the despairing dive of visiting goalkeeper Narazaki.

And Bozanic almost created a second for the Mariners 12 minutes before half-time but Narazaki was quickly off his line to block at the feet of Troy Hearfield after the midfielder had ghosted in behind the Nagoya defence before Mariners goalkeeper Mathew Ryan flew across his goal to push away Abe’s dipping half-volley.
The lively Bozanic produced the first real chance of the second half as the midfielder’s strike following a strong run was pushed to safety by Narazaki midway through the second period. 

The home continued to press as Amini, who is on loan back at the Mariners from German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, drew a smart save from Narazaki but Nagoya survived to claim a point after sharing a 2-2 draw with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma two weeks ago.
“It was a very tough game for both sides, but I think a draw is the correct result,” said Nagoya coach Dragan Stojkovic.

“From a technical point of view, we played the better football, but the Mariners as a team didn’t give up. They are the leaders of the A-League and we have to respect that.
“Coming here a draw isn’t that bad of a result. They put us in difficult situations especially in the box area.”
at 3/21/2012 0 comments
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