Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jinan: Coach Cuca insisted that his Shandong Luneng side will fight to the end to keep alive their hopes of a place in the 2015 AFC Champions League Round of 16, after the Brazilian saw his team share the points with Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol in an action-packed 4-4 draw in Group E on Wednesday.
Although the Chinese FA Cup winners ended a run of back-to-back defeats in the continental competition despite having let slip the lead twice in the eight goal thriller at Jinan Olympic Sports Centre, Shandong’s Brazilian coach knows that his side must now get maximum points from their remaining two fixtures.
K-League Classic champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors remain locked at the top of the group alongside Kashiwa on eight points after their 1-1 draw with Vietnamese champions Becamex Binh Duong, with Shandong a further four points adrift.
Match report: Shandong Luneng FC 4-4 Kashiwa Reysol
“I think we had a good game today, the only weakness was one or two details,” said Shandong coach Cuca.
“At the beginning we scored very early, but then we made too many mistakes leading us to concede three times. Afterwards we tried very hard to equalise, and did so, and then we had at least three perfect chances to score more. Until the last second we were trying to win the game.
“You could tell how hard we tried by looking at those players exhausted on the pitch. They've done their best, we shouldn't be mad at the game. Of course it would be better if we won, that had been our target. Now we have to win the remaining two matches.
“If we win the next two games we will still have a chance to qualify. We will have our window open till the last round. We will fight till the end, including our away game in Korea.”
With a vital match-up with Jeonbuk, which could decide who leads Group E outright, in Japan coming up in two weeks’ time, Kashiwa coach Tatsuma Yoshida lauded his players for the point the team salvaged after twice going behind in Jinan.
“In such a game with such a scoreline, there is no loser. I have to praise my players' courage,” said Kashiwa coach Yoshida.
“We are here not for fun but to win, you could see how hard we tried and how brave my players were.
“This game we used similar tactics and lineup as against Jeonbuk. We expected to score a lot and win it but we at least took a point and showed our ability.”
Photo: WSG