Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The first legs of the semi-finals of the 2019 AFC Champions League concluded this week with plenty of thrills and spills to savour.
Game-changers, sensational strikes and the 12th man as the 2019 semi-finals got under way in exciting style with rollercoaster matches in Qatar and Japan. Here's the post-match reaction from some of the key men involved.
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Saitama: Stunning long-range strikes from Fabricio and Takahiro Sekine saw Urawa Red Diamonds secure a 2-0 victory over Guangzhou Evergrande in the first leg of the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-finals at Saitama Stadium on Wednesday.
In the battle of the two-time champions, the hosts’ victory was no more than they deserved and Tsuyoshi Otsuki’s team will travel to Guangzhou’s Tianhe Stadium in three weeks’ time in a strong position.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Saitama: Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder Talisca has called on his team to bounce back following Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to Urawa Red Diamonds in the first leg of their AFC Champions League semi-final.
Brazilian star Talisca’s previous visit to Japan just a fortnight ago culminated in individual and team joy.
The 6’3” man rose highest at a corner to head home what proved to be the match-winner in Guangzhou’s away goals victory against Continental champions Kashima Antlers in the quarter-finals.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
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Kuala Lumpur: Bafetimbi Gomis has been named as the Toyota Player of the Week after the striker scored a brace in Al Hilal's 4-1 victory away at Al Sadd on Tuesday to help his side put one foot into the 2019 AFC Champions League Final.
However, it was far from an ideal start for Gomis in Doha as he inadverently netted past his own 'keeper on 14 minutes to give the hosts the lead. The Frenchman bounced back, though, netting twice in the right goal to steer Al Hilal to a convincing win at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.
As well as his double, which came from three shots on target, Gomis also created three chances for his teammates as he earned an 8.7 rating.
From the other side of the continent, Takahiro Sekine (below), came in second in this week’s rankings after the Urawa Red Diamonds winger scored in the Japanese side's 2-0 win over Guangzhou Evergrande of China PR.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Saitama: Urawa Red Diamonds winger Takahiro Sekine hailed the club's loyal supporters after a passionate home crowd helped the J.League side to a 2-0 win over Guangzhou Evergrande in the first leg of the 2019 AFC Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
It has been a tough time to be both a Urawa Reds player and supporter of late. A torrid run of form in their domestic championship has seen the Saitama side drop to the lower echelons of the league, go 10 matches without a win in all compeitions, get knocked out of the Emperor's Cup by a fourth tier side, and fail to keep a cleansheet since June 6.
And yet in the 2019 AFC Champions League, the two-time Asian champions continue to defy form and expectations alike.
A run to their fourth semi-final at the expense of high-flyers Ulsan Hyundai and Shanghai SIPG was followed up at Saitama Stadium with another impressive performance as they defeated the Chinese Super League leaders Guangzhou 2-0 to take a firm hold on the tie.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Saitama: Fabio Cannavaro vowed to work to arrest his Guangzhou Evergrande side’s current slump in form after Urawa Red Diamonds handed the Chinese Super League leaders a 2-0 defeat in the first leg of their 2019 AFC Champions League semi-final on Wednesday to leave their continental title hopes hanging by a thread.
The defeat extended Guangzhou’s winless run to six straight games in all competitions and means Cannavaro’s side will need to mount a major comeback in the second leg at Tianhe Stadium on October 23 if they are to progress to the final and keep alive their hopes of a record third AFC Champions League crown.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Doha: Al Sadd coach Xavi is refusing to give up hope of qualifying to the 2019 AFC Champions League final despite his side’s heavy 4-1 home defeat at the hands of Al Hilal in the first leg of the semi-final on Tuesday.
The Qatari champions surrendered an early lead to concede twice in each half, suffering their first home defeat of the campaign and leaving them in need of a four-goal winning margin if they are to better last year’s semi-final exit.
The night started brightly for the hosts as they dominated the early proceedings and struck first 14 minutes into the game, but a defensive mistake allowed Al Hilal a way back into the match and Al Sadd capitulated after being reduced to 10 men, allowing their visitors to reign.