Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds and Chinese outfit Guangzhou Evergrande sealed their places in the semi-final of the 2019 AFC Champions League, after victories over Shanghai SIPG and Kashima Antlers respectively.
Urawa have shown an ability to play well on the continent despite poor domestic form, producing another memorable night at the Saitama Stadium to see themselves through. Despite sitting just four points above the relegation zone back in the domestic lead, the Reds march on in their continental adventure.
Captain Shinzo Koroki got his side off the mark in the 39th minute, getting his head to Takahiro Sekine’s cross and emphatically finding the back of the net.
The opening goal gave the side a two-goal cushion, having managed a 2-2 draw in Shanghai in the previous leg. Wang Shenchao’s equalizer on the hour mark made for an exciting finish, made even more dramatic by Urawa’s difficulty in killing the game despite being afforded the opportunities to.
With the scoreline unchanged in the last half hour, Urawa became the first team to book themselves in the East-Asian semi-final.
The next day, defending champions Kashima Antlers were defeated by Chinese giants Guangzhou Evergrande thanks to a 1-1 draw at home.
Anderson Talisca headed the visitors in front in Ibaraki five minutes before half-time, scoring the first goal of the two-legged tie and giving Guangzhou a massive advantage through the away goals rule.
Fellow Brazilian Serginho managed to level the scoring in the 51st minute for Kashima, but it remained insufficient for the side who needed a win on home soil to progress. Ultimately, Fabio Cannavaro’s men held strong in the face of 16 shots from the defending champions to see themselves through to the semi-finals.