Analysis: Ulsan grow in belief to sink Urawa

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Analysis: Ulsan grow in belief to sink Urawa

Saitama: Ulsan Hyundai secured their first away win in the AFC Champions League in more than two years to gain the upper hand against Urawa Red Diamonds following a 2-1 victory in the first leg of the Round of 16 on Wednesday.

Two-time champions Urawa went into the game with a reputation for being formidable at home in the knockout rounds but it was the 2012 winners Ulsan who got their game plan just right to seal an impressive victory.

Round of 16 - 1st Leg: Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) 1-2 Ulsan Hyundai FC (KOR)

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Round of 16 - 1st Leg: Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) 1-2 Ulsan Hyundai FC (KOR)

Saitama: Ulsan Hyundai came back from going a goal behind to defeat Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1 on Wednesday as the 2012 winners claimed a first leg lead in the teams’ 2019 AFC Champions League Round of 16 meeting at Saitama Stadium.

Hwang Il-su came off the bench to bury a late winner to hand Ulsan not only the win but two crucial away goals ahead of next week’s tie in Korea Republic. Kenyu Sugimoto opened his AFC Champions League account in the first half before Joo Min-kyu restored parity ahead of the intermission.

The game pitted the two former winners of the tournament against one another for the first time in the AFC Champions League, which could be considered surprising given the frequent appearance of the clubs on this stage.

ACL 2019 Allianz Goal of the Week: Moon Seon-min (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC)

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

ACL 2019 Allianz Goal of the Week: Moon Seon-min (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC)

Kuala Lumpur: The-AFC.com has announced that Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC's Moon Seon-min is the winner of this week’s Goal of the Week presented by Allianz for the first leg of the 2019 AFC Champions League Round of 16.

Wei Shihao indebted to Guangzhou doctor 

Thu, 30 Nov, 2023

Wei Shihao indebted to Guangzhou doctor 

Guangzhou: Wei Shihao has sung the praises of Guangzhou Evergrande’s doctor after the attacking midfielder returned from injury to open the scoring in the 2-1 first leg victory in the last 16 against Shandong Luneng on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old had been out of action in recent weeks, missing China PR’s games against the Philippines and Tajikistan, but returned for the 2-0 victory over Shanghai SIPG on Friday and then played a crucial role in the win over domestic rivals Shandong in the 2019 AFC Champions League.

Having missed a gilt-edged opportunity early in the game, Wei put the two-time winners in front in the 35th minute and was then quick to show his appreciation to doctor Silvano Cotti, running straight to the bench to embrace the Italian.

Job not done yet, warns Guangzhou's Cannavaro

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Job not done yet, warns Guangzhou's Cannavaro

Guangzhou: Fabio Cannavaro has warned his Guangzhou Evergrande players to remain vigilant against imposing duo Graziano Pelle and Marouane Fellaini when they take on Shandong Luneng in the second leg of their 2019 AFC Champions League Round of 16 clash next week.

Guangzhou managed to mute the duo for much of the 90 minutes at Tianhe Stadium on Tuesday evening as the two-time champions ran out 2-1 winners in the all-Chinese Super League encounter and a draw will now be enough for Evergrande to advance to the last eight for the sixth time in eight seasons.

Head coach Kim proud of Ulsan's fighting spirit

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Head coach Kim proud of Ulsan's fighting spirit

Saitama: Ulsan Hyundai moved a step closer to the quarter-finals of the 2019 AFC Champions League on Wednesday thanks to their never-say-die attitude, claimed coach Kim Do-hoon after seeing his side take a 2-1 lead from the first leg against Urawa Red Diamonds at Saitama Stadium 2002.

The club from Korea Republic fought back from going a goal behind to take the win and, in the process, secure a pair of vital away goals ahead of the return meeting at Ulsan Minsu Stadium in seven days’ time.

Hiroshima's Jofuku braced for tough return leg

Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Hiroshima's Jofuku braced for tough return leg

Ibaraki: Hiroshi Jofuku is under no illusions over the difficulty of the task facing his Sanfrecce Hiroshima side after they slipped to a 1-0 loss in the first leg of the 2019 AFC Champions League Round of 16 match-up with defending champions Kashima Antlers on Tuesday.

Brazilian striker Serginho scored the only goal of the game to give the holders the upper hand going into next week’s return leg in Hiroshima and Jofuku knows his team face an uphill battle to turn the tie around despite Kashima only having a narrow advantage.

"I think the boys gave it everything they had,” he said. “We were aware of Kashima's strengths and thought that we did a good job of stopping them from creating legitimate chances.