Tonight, after a goal battle, Shanghai Harbour's opponents in this season's AFC Champions League group stage were all determined.
In a "victory derby" in the AFC Champions League play-offs, Japan's J-League runner-up Kobe Victory Ship last season narrowly defeated Australia's last-season FA Cup winner Melbourne Victory by extra time 4:3 to enter Group J, where Shanghai Harbour is located.
In fact, whether it is Kobe Victory Ship or Melbourne Victory, it is the old opponent of the Harbor team in the AFC Champions League. Melbourne Victory was in the same group as Harbour in both the 2016 and 2018 seasons; Kobe Victory eliminated Harbour 2-0 in the 2020 AFC Champions League quarter-finals.
The "victory derby" was full of ups and downs. Former Barca star and 38-year-old captain Iniesta helped Kobe Victory take the lead with a powerful shot in the 5th minute. Melbourne Victory striker D'Agostino scored one goal each in the first and second halves to help his side reverse the score in the 71st minute.
The final 10 minutes of regular season time set off a goal climax. Japan international striker Ōkō Ōkō, who first started with Kobe Victory, scored twice in the 80th and 87th minutes to take another 3-2 lead. But in the 89th minute, Melbourne Victory's substitute striker Flammy scored with an arcing ball that dragged the game into extra time.
In the 4th minute of extra time, Iniesta directly attacked the penalty area, and Kobe Victory Ship's substitute striker, Brazilian foreign assistant Rincón, took a cross in front of the goal and shoveled the empty goal, scoring the final winning goal, helping the team to advance to this season's AFC Champions League group stage.
Although kobe victory ship ranked in the top three of the J-League last season under iniesta, the team has not performed well so far this season, with no wins in the first six rounds of 3 draws and 3 defeats, ranking second from the bottom. In particular, the team's defense is terrible, which is also very obvious in this AFC Champions League play-off.
With the promotion of The Victory Ship of Kobe, all four teams in Group J of the 2022 AFC Champions League Group Stage have been produced, and in addition to the Boat Victory of Kobe in the same group as Shanghai Harbour, there are also the champion of the Hong Kong League in China, Jie Zhi, and the third place in the Thai League, Chiang Rai United.
The group's competition will start on April 16 and run from May 1 in Thailand.
Although Changchun Yatai, the fourth place in the Chinese Super League last season, has announced his withdrawal from this season's AFC Champions League, the other three teams are still in preparation from the current point of view. However, even if Shanghai Harbor participates, considering that the group stage of the AFC Champions League is likely to coincide with the start time of the new season of the Chinese Super League, it should also be to send reserve teams and youth team players to mix.
Shanghai Harbour AFC Champions League group stage schedule
April 16 Shanghai Harbour vs Kobe Victory Ship
19 April Chiangrai United vs Shanghai Harbour
April 22 Shanghai Harbour VS Jiezhi
April 25 Jiezhi vs Shanghai Harbour
April 28 Kobe Victory VS Shanghai Seaport
01 May Shanghai Harbour vs Chiang Rai United