Nagoya Grampus became the first East Asian side to clinch an AFC Champions League last 16 ticket this season, after the J.League 1 side had edged out a much-changed Johor Darul Ta’zim side 2-1 at the Rajamangala National Stadium on Sunday. Qualification to the next round was sealed after their closest rivals Pohang Steelers were forced to a goalless draw by last-placed Ratchaburi Mitr Phol earlier on the day.
Ratchaburi Mitr Phol (Thailand) 0-0 Pohang Steelers (South Korea)
Knowing that a win would keep their chances of overthrowing Nagoya from the summit of Group G alive, Pohang went straight on the offensive from the get-go. The Steelers, led by Lim Sang-hyub and Borys Tashchy in attack, pinned the Dragons in their own half, with a timely intervention from Praweenwat Boonyong preventing Pohang from taking an early lead in the 2nd minute.
Both Lee Seung-mo and Alex Grant fired wide with their first half attempts, before Ratchaburi almost punished the South Koreans for their profligacy just before the half-hour mark, with midfielder Pathomchai Sueasakul giving Kang Hyeon-mu in the Pohang goal a good scare with his shot.
Siripong Sek-san’s side, who restored the likes of Steeven Langil, Junior Mapuku, and Sebastien Wuthrich into the starting lineup, managed to frustrate Pohang throughout the first half. Both Shin Kwang-hoon and Go Young-joon tried their best in scratching the Dragons’ hide, but the duo’s inability to convert their chances ensures that Kampol Pathomakkakul’s goal remained safe in the first 45.
The second half saw more of the same, Pohang dominating Ratchaburi yet being unable to find a way past Kampol, with the occasional threats to Hyeon-mu’s goal from the Dragons. The Steelers were left to rue their missed chances as the match ends in a goalless stalemate, while Ratchaburi can afford to have a small celebration as they clinched their first ever ACL point.
Nagoya Grampus (Japan) 2-1 Johor Darul Ta’zim (Malaysia)
With elimination from the ACL already confirmed days prior, JDT head coach Benjamin Mora deployed a much-changed side as his Southern Tigers side took on an ominous-looking Nagoya side who had been flawless this campaign. Gone were the likes of Safawi Rasid, Bergson, Safiq Rahim, Afiq Fazail, Matthew Davies, and Farizal Marlias, with Ramadhan Saifullah being handed his first ACL start, S. Kunanlan being entrusted with the captaincy, Haziq Nadzli being selected in goal, and Hazwan Bakri leading the lines.
Knowing that a win would seal them a place in the ACL knockouts for the first time since 2012, Nagoya went off to a flying start after they were awarded with a penalty in the 4th minute following Adam Nor Azlin’s foul on Mateus in the JDT penalty box. The Brazilian took it upon himself to execute the penalty and he did his job superbly, beating Haziq with a well-taken shot to give Nagoya the early advantage.
After further threatening Haziq through Yuki Soma and Kazuki Nagasawa, Nagoya doubled their advantage in the 28th minute through Hiroyuki Abe, who managed to evade La’Vere Corbin-Ong before curling home from close range past an onrushing Haziq.
Despite going two goals down JDT refused to give up and eventually their persistence paid off as the Malaysian champions managed to pull one back in the 42nd minute. Nagoya goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak managed to parry away a Corbin-Ong shot, only for Ramadhan to pounce on the rebound and slot home past the Australian, the first goal that Langerak and Nagoya had conceded this campaign.
Spurred on by Ramadhan’s goal, JDT went straight on a hunt for the all-important equalizer in the second half. Unfortunately for the Southern Tigers, their efforts ended in vain after they were unable to best Langerak a second time, with a Hazwan effort striking the crossbar in the 62nd minute the closest that the Malaysians have got.
The 2-1 win ensured that Nagoya would top Group G with fifteen points from five wins out of five, while Pohang’s draw with Ratchaburi meant that the South Koreans are now in second place with ten points. Pohang must beat Nagoya in July 7th to ensure that they would have a chance of qualifying as one of the three best runners-up, while JDT and Ratchaburi are set to play out a dead rubber on the same day.