East Asian sides Nagoya Grampus and Pohang Steelers are now one step closer to the round of 16 after successfully dumping their Group G opponents from Southeast Asia out of the AFC Champions League on Thursday. South Korea’s Pohang managed to thoroughly outplay Malaysia’s Johor Darul Ta’zim to eliminate them with a 2-0 win, while Japan’s Nagoya held off a brave Ratchaburi Mitr Phol side of Thailand to win 3-0 and knock the Dragons out of the ACL as well.
Johor Darul Ta’zim (Malaysia) 0-2 Pohang Steelers (South Korea)
While the first meeting between the two was marred by controversy thanks to a questionably awarded penalty for Pohang, the second clash between JDT and Pohang was a testament on how far the Southern Tigers are still lagging behind their more illustrious East Asian peers.
And while JDT did have their moment in the sunshine at the Rajamangala National Stadium – a Safawi Rasid effort in the 16th minute striking the crossbar – in the end Pohang thoroughly outmatched their Malaysian opponents, dominating possession slightly and having the fair share of chances. The Steelers ended the match with 12 shots, 4 of them finding the target, while JDT could only muster 4 shots, none of which were on target.
Unlike the first encounter that was shrouded in controversy, this time Pohang managed to punish an off-color JDT quite emphatically.
After Borys Taschy and Lim Sang-hyub had threatened Farizal Marlias’ goal in the opening stages of the first half, Pohang went ahead in the 33rd minute through Lee Seung-mo, who managed to latch onto Go Young-joon’s weighted pass before beating his defenders and firing a shot past Farizal and into the net.
Four minutes later Pohang went two goals to the good, with captain Kang Sang-woo taking advantage of a Borys pass to slot home past Farizal.
No further goals were scored afterwards, however Pohang did came close to widening the gap between themselves and the Malaysians a couple of times throughout the second half, with Gwon Wan-gyu, Seung-mo, and Alex Grant being guilty of squandering their chances.
Despite this, the Steelers managed to hang on for three valuable points that kept their chances of qualifying out of Group G alive, while the defeat meant that it’s the end of the road for JDT.
Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 3-0 Ratchaburi Mitr Phol (Thailand)
To say that Ratchaburi’s maiden Asian campaign was a disappointment is a severe understatement.
Still without a win and without a goal coming into Matchweek 4, Ratchaburi’s ACL head coach Siripong Sek-san dropped a bombshell during the pre-match press conference that the Dragons will be deploying an all-Thai starting lineup for the match against an ominous Nagoya side who has been flawless throughout their campaign.
The announcement came as the latest chapter in the Mitr Phol circus at the Rajamangala National Stadium, which includes the inclusion of actor-singer Phakin Khamwilaisak in Ratchaburi’s ACL squad as well as the Dragons’ disastrous performances throughout the campaign. Siripong’s decision to deploy an all-Thai lineup for their second match against Nagoya – who thrashed them 4-0 in the first meeting – suggested that Ratchaburi are putting the blame for their poor performances on their foreign players – Steeven Langil, Sebastien Wuthrich, Junior Mapuku, and Vafa Hakhamaneshi.
Much to everyone’s relief, Monkey Twins star Phakin did not get a sniff at Ratchaburi’s squad for the Nagoya match on Thursday and surprisingly Siripong’s all-local squad performed quite decently against a ruthless Nagoya.
Granted Nagoya dominated proceedings but goalkeeper Kampol Pathomakkakul kept Ratchaburi alive throughout the game, denying the likes of Yutaka Yoshida, Yoichiro Kakitani, and Mateus in the first half.
It took Nagoya 50 minutes to find a way past the impressive Kampol, with Mateus blasting home a half-volley past the goalkeeper after receiving a deflected cross from Kazuki Nagasawa.
The Dragons responded positively after going behind, with Nukoolkit Krutyai blasting high in the 51st minute and substitute Mapuku coming close in the 65th minute, drawing a fingertip save from Nagoya custodian Mitchell Langerak.
However, despite Ratchaburi’s best efforts, Nagoya killed off the game in the closing 20 minutes with a six minute double whammy. Kakitani made it 2-0 with a close-ranged finish in the 73rd minute, before Ryogo Yamasaki confirmed the win in the 79th, inching Nagoya closer towards a ticket to the round of 16 while at the same time eliminating Ratchaburi from their maiden ACL campaign.
Both Nagoya and Pohang will now fight it out to claim top spot of Group G that guarantees qualification out of the group, with Pohang facing-off against Ratchaburi and Nagoya taking on JDT on July 4th.