J.League 1 sides FC Tokyo and Yokohama F. Marinos had contrasting results on their AFC Champions League group stage Matchweek 5 action, as the former succumbed to a 2-1 loss at the hands of Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea on Monday while the latter managed to romp their way to a 4-1 victory over fellow South Korean powerhouses Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Tuesday. The defeat meant that FC Tokyo’s chances of qualifying to the knockouts were delayed until the last matchweek of the group stages, while Yokohama’s comprehensive victory knocked Jeonbuk out of the ACL while at the same time ensuring last 16 qualification for Ange Postecoglou’s men.
Both FC Tokyo and Ulsan squared off on Monday at the Education City Stadium in Doha, Qatar, where an Ulsan win would clinch the South Koreans qualification to the knockout stages as Group F winners while an FC Tokyo win would enable Kenta Hasegawa’s charges to leapfrog their South Korean counterparts into the Group F pole position. Fresh off beating China’s Shanghai Greenland Shenhua 2-1 on November 27th at the same venue, FC Tokyo entered the match in full confidence and managed to gain advantage after just 1 minute. Shuto Abe’s pass managed to find Kensuke Nagai, who managed to fire low past Ulsan goalkeeper Jo Su-huk to give the Gasmen the lead.
Ulsan, however, were undeterred from being down a goal after just 60 seconds and managed to keep a lion’s share of the possession, withstanding an attack from FC Tokyo spearheaded by both Nagai and Leandro in the 13th minute before proceeding to pepper the Gasmen’s defense with shots of their own, with Ulsan shooting 8 times compared to FC Tokyo’s 3. And through the last of those eight shots, Ulsan managed to draw level.
With only two minutes to go until half-time, Yoon Bit-garam took a superb free-kick from 25 years out that left FC Tokyo goalkeeper Go Hatano well-beaten. With the scoreline now level, Ulsan continued their relentless pressure on the FC Tokyo defense into the second half, with Hatano being left scampering thanks a long-ranged deflected effort from Seol Young-woo that went wide.
Former Yanbian Funde man Yoon then sealed the three points for Ulsan in the 85th minute, dribbling past two defenders before firing past Hatano to seal the three points and qualification for 2012 ACL winners Ulsan. The 2-1 defeat meant that FC Tokyo’s position in Group F’s top two came under fire, however they will be relieved to hang onto 2nd place after Shenhua could only play out a 3-3 draw with already-eliminated bottom dwellers Perth Glory of Australia. FC Tokyo now must win against Perth and hope that Ulsan would get a result against Shenhua to ensure qualification into the last 16 on Thursday.
Another South Korean club backed by the Hyundai mega-corporation, 2-time ACL champions Jeonbuk took on 2019 J1 champions Yokohama at the Al-Wakrah Sports Complex on Tuesday. A win for Group H co-leaders Yokohama would ensure their passage into the ACL knockouts for the first time in their history, however they must contend against a Jeonbuk side looking to avoid failing in the ACL group stages for only the second time in their 12 appearances in Asia’s premier club competition.
Both Marcos Junior and Erik Lima sent efforts that went over the crossbar, signaling the inevitable for Jose Morais’ Jeonbuk. And that inevitability came in the 17th minute, with a free-kick by Shinnosuke Hatanaka being quickly taken and given towards Thailand international Theerathon Bunmathan. Well-endowed with experience in the ACL thanks to his previous exploits in the competition with both Buriram United and SCG Muangthong United, Theerathon fired a cannonball from outside the penalty area that went beyond the reaches of Jeonbuk goalkeeper Song Bum-keun, giving Yokohama the all-important lead.
Marcos then made it 2-0 for Yokohama after 51 minutes, working together excellently with teammate Teruhito Nakagawa in a recreation of the partnership that devastated the 2019 J1 season. Nakagawa sent the ball into the box with a no-look pass, allowing Marcos to beat Song from the right side of the goal.
Jeonbuk managed to pull one back a minute afterwards, after Yokohama defender Thiago Martins was adjudged to have handled a shot from former Swansea City and Reading man Modou Barrow inside the area. Jeonbuk’s Brazilian striker Gustavo Henrique made no mistake from 12 yards out, beating Yokohama’s young Nigerian-Japanese goalkeeper Powell Obinna Obi with his penalty.
Nakagawa then turned from provider to scorer in the 72nd minute, smashing in an audacious bicycle-kick pass from Erik past Song to restore Yokohama’s two-goal advantage. Ado Onaiwu then sealed both the three points and qualification with his immense contribution towards Yokohama’s fourth and final goal of the match in the 82nd minute, with the substitute blasting a powerful volley that forced Song into committing an own-goal.
Jeonbuk’s 4-1 defeat had not only ensured qualification for Yokohama and their elimination from this year’s ACL, but the South Koreans’ bad day in the office enabled 2nd placed Shanghai SIPG to accompany Yokohama into the knockouts despite losing heavily 4-0 at the hands of already eliminated Sydney FC.