Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Kashiwa: Substitute Li Kai struck five minutes from time to secure a 1-1 draw for Guizhou Renhe against Kashiwa Reysol on Tuesday, but the result was not enough to prevent the Emperor’s Cup holders from securing top spot in Group H with one game remaining in the Group Stage of the 2013 AFC Champions League.
Tatsuya Masushima gave Reysol the lead five minutes into the second half before Li levelled in the 85th minute, leaving Guizhou still in contention for a place in the Round of 16 ahead of next week’s meeting with Suwon Bluewings in Guiyang.
While the others in the group fight it out for second place in the group, there is no doubt over Kashiwa’s place in the next round as Nelsinho Baptista’s team retained their unbeaten record in the competition so far this season.
The draw moves Reysol on to 11 points and the former J.League champions cannot now be caught, meaning Kashiwa will host the all-important second leg of the Round of 16.
“I am not quite satisfied with the way we played and the result we’ve got today, but we still were able to get through the group stage, which I think was given to us by God,” said Nelsinho.
“The experience from last year is helping us a lot. We have a different way of looking at the AFC Champions League this year.
“Each of us on the team has a better understanding of the significance of the tournament and our role as a Japanese representative. That helped us start the tournament strongly. After collecting three wins from the start, we have been able to play the following games calmly.”
A tepid first half saw little in the way of clear-cut chances for either side, with Junya Tanaka coaxing a comfortable save out of Zhang Lie with 10 minutes remaining in the half while, at the other end, Chen Jie saw his effort go just over the Reysol goal.
Five minutes after the restart, though, the home side took the lead. Jorge Wagner (Jorge Wagner Goés Conceição), introduced as a substitute at halftime, sent in a curling freekick that the Guizhou defence failed to clear sufficiently and Masushima thumped his right-foot effort home.
With head coach Gong Lei watching from the stands after being sent off in the 2-1 win over Central Coast Mariners on Matchday 4, it was left to his assistant, Li Chunman, to call the shots and the introduction, first of Qu Bo and then Li Kai, gave Guizhou a boost late on.
Qu saw his free kick go just over the bar as the clock ticked down but, just seconds later, the visitors had pulled level, when Li raced through to score with a right foot finish after Zlatan Muslimovic headed the ball into his path.
With seconds remaining Zvjezdan Misimovic fired off a long-range effort that forced Takanori Sugeno to dive to his left as Reysol held on to pick up the point that takes them into the next phase of the competition for the second season in a row.
“We prepared well for today’s game,” said Guizhou assistant coach Li. “Neither side created many chances in the first half but Reysol scored early in the second half and we went behind.
“However, our players showed their capability and pulled a goal back. That was a product of our substitutions. I brought on Li Kai, who is an attacking player. After levelling the scores, we were able to play with cool heads.
“We’ve got this result, a draw, which is alright. We want to do well in our next game against the Korean side at home. We are confident.”
Photo: WSG