Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Nagoya: Keiji Tamada's missed penalty cost Nagaoya Grampus top spot in Group G of the 2012 AFC Champions League as Dragan Stojkovic's side were held to a 0-0 draw by Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda at Mizuho Stadium on Wednesday.
Tamada, a member of Japan's AFC Asian Cup winning squad back in 2004, slid the ball wide of goal in the 59th minute after his side had been awarded a penalty after Yuki Maki had been hauled down inside the area.
The draw sees Nagoya drop to second in Group G, behind Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma on goal difference after the K-League side defeated Central Coast Mariners 5-0 later in the evening to move on to six points. Tianjin are in third on three points, level with Central Coast.
"It was a very hard game," said Stojkovic. "The Chinese team was very motivated and my players looked very tired because of our very hard schedule.
"We can be satisfied with the draw because we missed the penalty. That was a crucial point of the game. When you miss a penalty, a draw for one point is okay.
"We were very static - not enough movement, not enough ideas. The main problem we had in the middle, especially in the first half, was that we missed a lot of control, a lot of passes. That was not good, and I am not satisfied.
"Compared to our game in China, today Tianjin were completely different. They were very well organised, they fought over 100 percent, I think. After losing 3-0 at home, they wanted to show their quality."
Tianjin coach Josip Kuze praised his team's performance just two weeks after they suffered a comprehensive defeat to the same opponents on home soil.
"Of course, after losing 3-0 at home, we wanted to get a better result and give a better impression with a better performance today," said the former JEF United and Gamba Osaka coach.
"In my opinion, we played with a well-organised defense. We tried to defend first to bring a little bit of confidence, and after that we wanted to attack a little bit."
Kuze made a raft of changes to the team that lost against Nagoya on Matchday 3 but he refuted suggestions he had given up on his team's hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the competition.
"We came here with an ambition of playing a better game, to get a better result today," he said. "But you have to be a little bit realistic after losing 3-0 at home.
"We were thinking about what we can achieve with our younger players, because we have to think about our next game in the Chinese league as it is very important to be successful.
"After everything, I am very happy, because we still stay here to fight in the Champions League after losing 3-0, and we keep some players for the Chinese league."
Photo: WSG