Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Beijing: Brisbane Roar coach Frans Thijssen believes his side are back in the running for a place in the AFC Champions League Round of 16 after the A-League champions stunned previously undefeated Beijing Guoan on Tuesday in the Chinese capital.
Needing to beat the Group G leaders to avoid exiting the competition, Brisbane silenced the 35,578 crowd at Beijing Workers Stadium on the 39th minute when Serbian striker Andrija Kaluderovic scored the game’s only goal.
And despite the presence of the attacking talent of Pablo Batalla, Dejan Damjanovic and Ha Dae-sung in their ranks, Beijing were unable to break down the well-organised visitors who hung on for a valiant victory that extends their continental campaign till at least the final matchday in a fortnight’s time.
Match Report: Beijing Guoan 0-1 Brisbane Roar
“I am so happy that we are back in the mix for a Round of 16 place thanks to the three points we gained today,” said Brisbane coach Thijssen.
“We had a very difficult start but the game started to turn in our favour after the goal and we had better possession in the second half. In the last 10 minutes, Beijing tried very hard to score, and it was a very tough time for us.
“Making it through to the knockout stages now will depend on the last round. I think all the teams are trying very hard and it may well go down to goals scored. We conceded one goal at home to Beijing, but we scored one here and so we are even.”
Beijing had needed to simply avoid defeat to Brisbane to ensure their place in the knockout stages but instead it is Korea Republic’s Suwon Samsung who have secured a spot in the last 16 with a match to spare by defeating Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan in the group’s other game.
Instead, Beijing and Brisbane’s AFC Champions League destiny is now put on hold for two weeks’ time until the final round of fixtures.
“We had created many opportunities until one mistake. They took the chance and scored,” said Beijing coach Gregorio Manzano.
“The AFC Champions League is very energy-consuming and we have to deal with suspensions and injury, resulting in a defense line which was not that stable. This is the third game in my tenure that we didn’t score when playing at home, but this happens in football.
“Now we will have to rotate our team to give the players more rest. We still have a chance to qualify for the knockout stage and we will do our best to achieve that.”
Photo: WSG