Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Tokyo: Emperor’s Cup winners FC Tokyo booked their place in the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League with one group match remaining as Ranko Popovic’s side handed Brisbane Roar a 4-2 defeat at National Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Brisbane needed a comprehensive win to keep their continental campaign alive and Rado Vidosic’s team had the perfect start to their first game under the control of their new coach when Besart Berisha scored from close range after just four minutes.
Their joy was short lived, however, as Hideto Takahashi equalised less than a minute later with a shot that went in off the post and by the 20th minute the hosts were in front after Kenta Mukuhara found the left corner of the net.
Thomas Broich levelled for Brisbane in the 33rd minute but a penalty by Kazuma Watanabe, after he had been upended in the area by Bahrain defender Sayed Mohamed Adnan in the 44th minute, saw FC Tokyo finish an exhilarating first half on top.
Watanabe then struck on the hour mark to end Brisbane’s resistance and seal all three points for the Gasmen, who move on to 11 points from five games, enough to seal a place in the last 16.
“In football you cannot always expect to have everything in the way you want, but it is important to believe in what you are doing,” said Popovic. “That’s what we showed in today’s game.
“I’m so glad that we have got this result for Japanese football as we are playing in the AFC Champions League representing Japan, and we want to continue trying hard to put on a good show on the Asian stage.
“I’m happy we won today and qualified for the next round. Congratulations to our guys. They are the ones who play on the field and they are doing a good job. I’m enjoying watching from the touchline what they are doing.”
A draw with Ulsan Hyundai in their final group match on May 16 will secure top spot, and home field advantage in the next phase, for FC Tokyo.
Vidosic, meanwhile, was left to rue the J.League side’s more potent attacking threat as Brisbane’s elimination from the competition was confirmed.
“There was a difference in the quality of the finishing,” he said. “We started well and scored an early goal, but unfortunately 30 seconds later FC Tokyo equalised.
“We scored a second goal but unfortunately again we could not defend as effective as we would like. This is our third penalty in three games so we need to learn about this competition and the way those decisions go.”
Photo: AFP