Pakhtakor and Al-Ittihad draw in AFC Champions League

September 24, 2009

The first leg of the AFC Champions League quarter final tie between Pakhtakor Tashkent of Uzbekistan and Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia ended in a 1-1 draw.

In the only quarter final to be played on Thursday, the Uzbek hosts needed just six minutes for Milan Nikolic to open the score and put his team in the lead.

The match then remained goalless until minute 72, when Saleh Al-Saqri leveled the score to give the Saudi Arabians a much better starting point for the second leg.

The quarter final return legs are scheduled to be played on September 30.

Jonathan Roorda

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Japanese, Korean clubs remain on course for glory

June 25, 2009

TOKYO (AFP) – Japanese clubs remain on course to continue their AFC Champions League success after two J-League clubs booked quarter-final berths despite defeat for defending champions Gamba Osaka.

Osaka crashed out of the competition 3-2 to fellow J-League outfit Kawasaki Frontale Wednesday while Nagoya Grampus beat South Korea’s Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2-1 to book their place in September’s quarter-finals.

South Korea’s K-League also has two teams through to the last eight with victories for FC Seoul and Pohang Steelers.

The Japanese and Korean sides will battle it out against west zone teams Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia, Umm Salal of Qatar, and Pakhtakor and Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan.

Kawasaki Frontale coach Takashi Sekizuka was delighted with his team’s result.

“Winning such an important game today will bring us good confidence, and we?d like to move on and keep fighting hard as a representative of the J-League clubs and Japan,” Sekizuka said.

Dejected Osaka coach Akira Nishino said: “Key players came back from injuries and we played better than I had expected. But we lost goals when my players slowed down in the second half.”

“But it was our best eleven. I was really disappointed, because we cannot play in the Champions League any more while we are regaining our best form,” he added.

Following his side’s clash against Suwon Bluewings, Nagoya’s Serbian coach Dragan Stojkovic said his side had come through a hard battle.

“It was really a tough game but we ended with a win. It gives us a lot of confidence to reach the last eight in Asia.”

Seoul’s Turkish coach Senol Gunes, who oversaw a 5-4 win for his side on penalties after a 2-2 draw against Kashima Antlers, predicted that the winner of the game would go on to lift the trophy.

“It was an exciting game between the top teams from the K-League and the J-League,” said Gunes. “I said before that the winners of this game will reach the final. I still think so.”

“We are going to take game by game to challenge further. It will be good for the team to have a dream (to win the Champions League),” he said.

“In this Champions League, I think Kashima Antlers and FC Seoul are the two strongest teams, so I don’t expect us to have a tougher game than today’s game,” he added.

South Korean side Pohang Steelers thumped Australia’s Newcastle Jets 6-0, with a hat-trick for midfielder Choi Hyo-Jin.

Pohang boss Sergio Farias was full of praise for his midfielder.

“We prepared well and I am happy to see a lot of goals tonight. Our aim was to proceed to the next round and that mission has been accomplished,” he told the AFC Champions League website.

Gamba Osaka won the 2008 Champions League after victory for fellow J-League side Urawa Red Diamonds in 2007.

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Japan reign supreme in AFC Champions League

May 7, 2009

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Nagoya Grampus became the fourth Japanese team to make the last 16 of the AFC Champions League on Wednesday, while Newcastle Jets kept Australian hopes alive.

Yoshizumi Ogawa scored twice as Nagoya beat South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai 4-1, ensuring they secured top spot in Group E with 11 points from five games, five ahead of Ulsan and Newcastle, who eased past Beijing Guoan 2-1.

Defending champions Gamba Osaka, who kept their 100 percent record intact with a 1-0 win over China’s Shandong Luneng, have already qualified for the knockout stage, along with Kawasaki Frontale and Kashima Antlers.

Saudi Arabia’s Ettifaq and Uzbek giants Pakhtakor are also through.

Ogawa set the wheels in motion for Nagoya with a header after 14 minutes, with Yuki Maki and Davi also on target before Ogawa completed the rout 18 minutes from time.

In Australia, Newcastle Jets stayed in contention for the last 16 with two goals in the final six minutes to sink Beijing Guoan.

The Jets squeezed home with goals from striker Sasho Petrovski and substitute Sean Rooney after the Chinese Super League team had looked poised for victory following Ryan Griffiths’ strike in the 69th minute.

But Petrovski equalised in the 88th minute with Rooney netting the winner with just 30 seconds left of the four minutes stoppage time.

The win means Newcastle, who are now second in Group E behind Nagoya, can go through to the playoff stage if they earn a point in their final group match against Ulsan in South Korea on May 20.

Gamba are the form team of the tournament and a strike by Yasuhito Endo just before half-time against Shandong means they have won all five of their matches so far.

It leaves the Chinese side on seven points alongside Korea’s FC Seoul with one match to go in Group F.

In west Asia, Group A leaders Pakhtakor host bottom-placed Al Ahli of the UAE as they bid to secure top spot in their group.

The Uzbek side have already secured a place in the next round after picking up 10 points, two more than Saudi Arabia?s Al Hilal.

Hilal have one foot in the next stage, but will be eager for victory against Saba Battery in Iran as they seek to overtake Pakhtakor.

Group B remains a three-horse race despite a shake-up of the table following the withdrawal of Sharjah this week.

The UAE club, who pulled out to focus on escaping relegation in their domestic league, were on zero points and all their previous results are considered null and void.

Saudi Arabia?s Al Shabab have four points and host Al Gharafa, on three points, later Wednesday.

The top-placed team in each of the eight groups will play at home against one of the second-placed sides in the one-leg round of 16, which will be held in the west zone on May 27 and the east zone on June 24.

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Japan reign supreme in AFC Champions League

May 6, 2009