Tense 120 minutes: A fiery showdown between Yokohama and Ulsan
On the evening of April 24, the AFC Champions League semifinals ignited in Yokohama, Japan. The highlight of the match is that Yokohama Mariners host South Korea's Ulsan HD. The two teams played to a 3-3 draw in the regular season, with a climactic and dramatic affair. In the first half, Asahi Uechu scored twice, Anderson Lopes scored, Matthews pulled one back with a header, Takumi Ueshima ate a red dot set, and Bohanic scored a penalty. In the second half, neither side achieved anything. In overtime, Kelvin was in the frame, and former Chengdu Rongcheng foreign aid Jin Yuyou was offside.
At one point, the Yokohama Mariners led 3-0, allowing the Ulsan Modern Defense Line to almost collapse. However, Ulsan Hyundai is worthy of being a regular in the AFC Champions League, and they relied on their tenacious counter-attacking power to score twice in just five minutes to level the aggregate score and push the game into more suspenseful extra time.
The performance of the two in the whole game can be called a full score: first of all, the Wuhan Zall veteran of the Yokohama team, Lopes, has scored 6 goals in this AFC Champions League, which is a real thigh in Yokohama!
Tactical showdown: A battle of the wits of two coaches
Yokohama Mariners' coach Colwill has carefully prepared his home tactics and tried to take advantage of home advantage to strike quickly. Ulsan Hyundai also had a clever response, showing the resilience of the team by staying calm in the face of intense pressure. The coach's redeployment and tactical adjustments played a key role in the game, and the two teams' offensive and defensive transitions and on-the-spot adaptability showed a high level of tactical execution.
Thrilling penalty shootout: Yokohama Mariner's victory and psychological warfare
After a fierce battle in extra time, the two sides went into a penalty shoot-out that would decide everything. In this high-pressure environment, the Yokohama Mariners showed a more consistent mental quality, and Eduardo hit the last free throw. In the end, they defeated Ulsan Hyundai 5-4 and advanced with a total score of 8-7. The emotions of the team and the fans reached a boiling point at this moment, which was a technical victory and a psychological conquest.
Final preview: Yokohama Mariners vs. Al Ain for the title
This year, Japanese teams have dominated the AFC Champions League more than their predecessors, and since 2017, they have reached the final five times in seven consecutive AFC Champions League games. Next, they will face Al Ain, who are also a strong team and are in the AFC Champions League final for the first time in eight years. Previously, Japanese teams had won the AFC Club Cup/AFC Champions League finals 10 times against West Asian teams 8 times, losing 2 times to Riyadh Crescent. Ai's only previous final against an East Asian side was against Jeonbuk Hyundai in 2016.
For the first time, the AFC Champions League final was played by a Japanese team against a UAE team, and the coaches of both teams were famous compared to Yokohama Mariners and Al Ain, who were not well-known players. Yokohama Mariner's Colwill and Al Ain's Crespo started Liverpool and Milan respectively on the 2005 Champions League final Miracle Night in Istanbul. Nineteen years later, the two faced off in the AFC Champions League final as coaches.
Crespo led Argentina's Defence and Justice team to the Copa Sudamericana in 2021, his second final as a coach at the Intercontinental Club Tournament. If he wins, he will be the fourth coach after Fossati (2011), Lippi (2013) and Scolari (2015) to win the AFC Champions League twice as a continental champion at another continental club.
This match is not only about the glory of the two teams, but also an important demonstration of the development of Asian football. Both sides will go all out to present a great football game for the fans. Through this match, the Yokohama Mariners showed their strength and determination, and at the same time gave great encouragement to other football teams in Asia. Regardless of the outcome, this final will be an important moment in the history of Asian football.
The AFC Champions League final will be played over two legs, with the first leg Yokohama Mariners at home against Al Ain on May 11 and the second leg at Al Ain at home against Yokohama Mariners on May 25, with no away goals rule. This time, will the AFC Champions League final be won by the Japanese team for the second consecutive year, or will Al Ain win the championship again after 21 years?