Group G of this year’s AFC Champions League came to a conclusion on Wednesday and with everything pretty much decided, the four teams within the group played two dead rubber matches at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok. Already through to the round of 16, Nagoya Grampus lost their flawless record as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Pohang Steelers, who are now crossing their fingers that they will become one of the three best runners-up who will receive a round of 16 ticket. Meanwhile, the late kick-off saw a disappointing end for Johor Darul Ta’zim’s ACL campaign as they were forced to a 0-0 draw by winless and goalless Ratchaburi Mitr Phol.
Pohang Steelers (South Korea) 1-1 Nagoya Grampus (Japan)
With qualification to the next round confirmed Massimo Ficcadenti can afford to rest Mitchell Langerak for the day, with stand-in goalkeeper Yohei Takeda taking over duties from the Australian. However, Italian head coach Ficcadenti still took this match seriously with the likes of Yoichiro Kakitani, Manabu Saito, and Naoki Maeda present in the Nagoya attack.
Chasing for points that would surely keep their round of 16 hopes alive, Pohang went straight on the offensive during the first half, leaving Takeda with much to do as his counterpart Kang Hyeon-mu had a quiet match.
Kwon Gi-pyo headed wide in the 6th minute to signify Pohang’s intent early on, before he once again missed his target just before the 30 minute mark.
Takeda was then called into action twice after that, denying Gi-pyo’s powerful header before preventing Kang Sang-woo’s long-ranged effort five minutes before the break.
Refusing to allow Pohang their way, Nagoya hit the South Koreans on the counter in the 51st minute. Saito managed to find Maeda as the Pohang defense found themselves outnumbered, with the latter squeezing in a shot beyond Hyeon-mu’s reaches to give Nagoya the lead.
The Steelers of Pohang huffed and puffed for an equalizer afterwards, with Lee Seung-mo and Gwon Wan-gyu missing their mark, however substitute Borys Tashchy finally broke through Takeda’s defenses in the 87th minute, with the Ukrainian taking advantage of a Nagoya defensive mix-up to fire low past the goalkeeper.
Borys’ equalizing goal could prove crucial as Pohang awaits the results from the other four groups for their round of 16 fate, while Nagoya could start planning for their first ACL knockout match since 2012.
Johor Darul Ta’zim (Malaysia) 0-0 Ratchaburi Mitr Phol (Thailand)
It’s all about the ASEAN honor as defending Liga Super Malaysia champions JDT took on last year’s Thai League 1 8th placers Ratchaburi at the Rajamangala. Head coach Benjamin Mora, under fire and pressure from supporters after JDT’s dismal showing in the continental stage, restored some of his big guns who were rested in their 2-1 defeat at the hands of Nagoya last time out, with Bergson, Safiq Rahim, Arif Aiman, Natxo Insa, Shane Lowry, and Farizal Marlias all featuring in the Mexican’s starting lineup.
Ratchaburi, on the other hand, decided to name Monkey Twins star Phakin Khamwilaisak as a substitute, with the actor potentially being given the nod in this dead rubber match.
JDT assumed immediate control of the match and they threatened Kampol Pathomakkakul in the Ratchaburi goal after just 8th minutes, with Safiq capping off an excellent counterattacking move with a shot from inside the penalty area that went wide.
The Dragons then attempted to retaliate through captain Steeven Langil, however having seized control of a Pathomchai Sueasakul through pass, the Martiniquean’s effort was thwarted by the offside flag.
Langil then threatened the Southern Tigers defense once again in the 27th minute, with his excellent cross being received by Sebastien Wuthrich, however the former Astra Giurgiu player was unable to make good use of his header.
Former AJ Auxerre man Langil wasn’t done just yet though and in the 32nd minute he once again posed a huge threat for the JDT defense. Collecting a Pathomchai pass, Langil made his way down the right and rifled in a shot from inside the area, however Farizal was there to nullify the threat.
Leandro Velazquez then tried his luck from some distance, however his attempt was blocked by the Ratchaburi defense, capping off a goalless first half for the two teams.
The second half saw more of the same from the two sides, with Langil eliciting a save from Farizal and Bergson threatening Kampol in the Dragons’ goal.
Ramadhan Saifullah then almost broke the deadlock in the 60th minute after some excellent play from Bergson, however the attacker will be disappointed to see his effort missing the target.
Bergson, who like Mora is under intense scrutiny from JDT supporters following a shocking loss of form that saw him fail to find the target at all in the ACL despite his fantastic form in the Liga Super, thought that he had broken his duck in the 70th minute after he had headed a Mohamadou Sumareh cross into Kampol’s goal, however the Brazilian’s effort was chalked off for a handball in the buildup.
In the end neither team could find any breakthrough and the match ends in a goalless stalemate. A disappointed JDT would surely rue a slew of missed opportunities throughout the match – and their campaign overall -, while Ratchaburi, despite failing to score any goals throughout their brief ACL campaign, were able to celebrate their second point in the competition.