Kitchee hold Kobe to book last 16 spot in AFC CL

BURIRAM: Kitchee SC made Hong Kong football history by securing a first-ever place in the AFC Champions League Round of 16 ater a 2-2 draw with Group J winners Japan’s Vissel Kobe at Buriram Stadium on Sunday.

A point was all Alex Chu Chi-kwong’s men needed to secure one of the three best runnersup places in the 2022 edition and, courtesy of a stoppage time header from Raul Baena, the Hong Kong Premier League champions marked a significant continental milestone.

Vissel’s Lincoln had opened the scoring with a penalty on 44 minutes, but Dejan Damjanovic responded for Kitchee in first half stoppage time with his own conversion from the spot. Substitute Yoshinori Muto had looked to break Kitchee hearts on 87 minutes but in stunning scenes Baena had a final say on proceedings.

A cagey opening in Buriram saw Kitchee forward Damjanovic have the match’s first shot on target ater 18 minutes, but Daiya Maekawa comfortably held the deflected strike, diving to his right.

Maekawa was then forced into action once more by Helio and Damjanovic, before the later was set through on goal by Cleiton on 32 minutes only to be denied by a last-ditch tackle from Leo Osaki.

While Kitchee had the lion’s share of the efforts on goal, Vissel dominated possession, and with a minute remaining of the first half they also had the lead.

Meanwhile, Ecstatic Mora credits Johor Darul Ta’zim fans for historic victory Johor Bahru: Benjamin Mora’s Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) gave their passionate supporters at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium an unforgetable night to remember on Saturday with an injury-time 2-1 triumph over Ulsan Hyundai clinching their passage into the AFC Champions League Round of 16 for the very first time in the club’s history.

And in return, a grateful boss Mora has paid tribute to the JDT faithful for their fervent support and giving them a numerical advantage in spirit on the pitch throughout their momentous run.

“Obviously, we are very happy, and to be honest, it is very hard for me to describe how I feel now that we finally created history.

“In the end, we must say thank you to our fans for never failing to support us all across the six matches. They made a huge difference in this campaign,” admited Mora.

“They are the ones who are the most important focus of football. Managers like me, the players, we come and go, but the fans will always be there forever, so this win is dedicated to them.”