On the 24th, Beijing time, the AFC Champions League final team was produced: West Asia, Al Ain eliminated Riyadh Crescent 5-4 in two legs, and reached the AFC Champions League final for the fourth time;
This is the 13th time that a Japanese team has reached the AFC Club Cup/AFC Champions League final, and 5 of the last 7 AFC Champions League finals. Previously, Japan had won the AFC Club Cup/AFC Champions League final eight times against West Asian teams, losing both times to Riyadh Crescent, and Ai had reached the final in the first three times and missed out on the title against East Asian teams in the only time they reached the final. Will the Japanese team be able to sustain their dominance in the AFC Champions League in recent years?
The Yokohama Marinos, who fell behind 0-1 in the first leg, formed a Brazilian trident in the second leg, with South Korean veterans Nam Tae-hee and Asahi Uechu supporting in the midfield. In this rain battle, the first half was full of twists and turns, Yokohama Mariner led by three goals in the opening 30 minutes, Asahi Uechu scored twice, Lopes scored a goal, and Nam Tae-hee gave Asahi Uechu an assist twice.
Just as Yokohama Mariners fans were celebrating their dream start, the tide turned in an instant. Ulsan coach Hong Myung-boo replaced Lee Kyu-sung with Swedish midfielder Boyanić and began to fight. In the 35th minute, Salles pulled one back with a header from a corner, and three minutes later, Yokohama Mariner defender Takumi Uejima slid a tackle on Yan Yuanxiang, and the ball hit his right arm because the turf was too slippery. Boyanić converted the penalty kick and after falling behind 3-0, Ulsan needed only seven minutes to tie the aggregate score and play one more man.
After the break, Mariners coach Colwill brought on Brazilian defender Eduardo and midfielder Riku Yamane to strengthen the defense. Hong Mingfu successively replaced Li Qinglong, Martin, and Kim Yuyou to strengthen the attack, but he couldn't attack for a long time and was dragged into overtime. Throughout the game, Ulsan's Lee Dong-hyung, Kim Woo-woo and Kevin hit the post three times, and Kim Woo-woo's killer goal before overtime was invalidated for offside.
In the penalty shootout, both teams hit the first 4 penalties, and the American-Japanese mixed-race goalkeeper Pope of the Yokohama Mariners saved the fourth penalty kick taken by Li Qinglong, but the ball was too slippery and still went into the net. In the fifth penalty, Kim Woo's penalty was weak, Pope easily saved, and the Mariners' Brazilian central defender Eduardo eliminated Ulsan in one fell swoop.
This is the first time that Yokohama Mariner has reached the final since the 2002 AFC Champions League was renamed. Since Furukawa Electric in 1986, seven Japanese teams have reached the AFC Cup/AFC Champions League final in 38 years, including Nissan, the predecessor of the Mariners.
Since 2017, Japanese teams have reached the finals of the last 7 AFC Champions Leagues 5 times and won 3 championships, forming an unprecedented dominance of Japanese teams in the AFC Champions League. During this period, only in 2020 and 2021 did they fail to reach the AFC Champions League finals due to the serendipitous single-elimination system, but they also entered the semi-finals, and in 2020, they were the champions of Ulsan Hyundai after losing in extra-time in the semi-finals.
Prior to this, only the Korean team in the 1995-2002 AFC Club Cup/AFC Champions League reached the final 7 times in 5 years in 5 years, and the performance of the Korean team in the final in 5 consecutive years from 2009 to 2013 was comparable to that of the Japanese team in the past 7 years. The J-League succeeded the K-League as the most dominant league in the AFC Champions League in the past seven years. In West Asia, from 2017 to 2022, Saudi Arabian teams reached the finals four times in six years, but all of them were swept by Riyadh Crescent. The number of titles is also two times that the Japanese team has led Saudi Arabia three times.
The West Asia final team was selected earlier, with Al Ain knocking out the top favourite, Riyadh Crescent, to reach the final for the fourth time in history.
Crespo's Ain defeated three Saudi teams in a row, Faha, Riyadh Victory and Riyadh Crescent from the group stage, and in the quarter-final penalty shootout, Ain goalkeeper Issa saved the penalty kicks of Brozovic, Telles and Otavio, resulting in the Riyadh victory led by Cristiano Ronaldo missing the final. In the semi-finals, Al Ain won 4-2 at home against Riyadh Crescent, ending his opponent's 34-game winning streak, and Moroccan striker Rahimi scored a hat-trick. In the second leg, Riyadh Crescent won 2-1 at home, but they were still out 4-5 on aggregate.
Crespo, who coached Ain in November last year, won the Copa Sudamericana with Argentina's Defence and Justice team in 2021, reaching the final of the Intercontinental Club Tournament for the second time. If he wins the AFC Champions League final, he will become the fourth AFC Champions League champion coach to have the status of champion coach from other continents after Fossati (2011), Lippi (2013) and Scolari (2015).
In the 2002/03 season, Al Ain knocked out Success in the semi-finals to reach the AFC Champions League final for the first time, beating Thailand's Sasana, and in 2005 and 2016, they reached the final twice, beating Jianlibao in the semi-finals in 2005 and losing to Jeddah United in Saudi Arabia in the final. In 2016, Al Ain lost to Jeonbuk and missed the championship, and Leonardo, a Brazilian foreign aid who scored twice for Jeonbuk that year, joined the Chinese Super League in 2019 and has played for Tianhai and Taishan.
Rahimi has scored 11 goals in the AFC Champions League this season and has basically sealed the Golden Boot. South Korean defender Park Yong-woo transferred to Al Ain from Ulsan last summer, and he wants to avenge his former parent team in the final.
Al Ain has only played a Japanese side in the AFC Champions League in 2011, when they were swept away 4-0 by Nagoya. The UAE club has reached the AFC Champions League final four times, including in 2015, when Olaroyo's Dubai Nationals lost to Evergrande in the final.
The AFC Champions League final will be played on May 11 and 25, with the Mariners playing at home first, and the winner will qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States. Ain's main right midfielder M. Barushh was suspended for the first leg after accumulating yellow cards, while top scorer Rahimi, left-back Eric and K. Barush, right-back Abouhabi, central defender Quadio and goalkeeper Issa were also yellow. In the first round of the final, the partner will be suspended if he eats cards again, and the sailors only have central defender Takumi Ueshima suspended, and captain Takuya Kita, who missed both legs of the semi-finals, has two yellows.
In the 21st century, East Asian teams have an absolute advantage in the AFC Champions League, winning 12 of the 13 AFC Champions League finals from 2006 to 2018. Since 2019, Riyadh Crescent has won the championship twice, and West Asia and East Asia are evenly divided. This season is the last before the AFC Champions League is restructured again, can the Yokohama Mariners continue their strength for the Japanese team?