Shandong, Jeonbuk reach ACL quarter-finals

China’s Shandong Taishan scored a dramatic lastminute goal to move into the Asian Champions League (ACL) quarter-finals after beating Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale 4-2 for a 6-5 aggregate victory on Tuesday.

Brazilian Jadson hooked the ball home in the seventh minute of added time to send the Chinese side into a last-eight showdown with Thailand’s Bangkok United or Japan’s Yokohama F-Marinos.

Jeonbuk also advanced to the quarter-finals with a 3-1 aggregate win over fellow South Koreans Pohang Steelers after a 1-1 draw in the second leg.

Jeonbuk’s next opponents will be either Japan’s Ventforet Kofu or another South Korean side, KLeague champions Ulsan.

Kawasaki beat Shandong 3-2 in last week’s first leg but the Chinese side roared out of the blocks with two early goals to take control of the return fixture in Japan.

Kawasaki hit back with goals either side of half-time before Brazilian Cryzan levelled the tie again with just over 15 minutes remaining.

Jadson settled a madcap game deep into injury time to send the last Chinese team still in the competition through to the last eight.

Kawasaki have won the JLeague four times in the last seven years but they have never gone further than the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League.

They twice threw away a twogoal cushion in the first leg and Shandong again looked sharp early in the return fixture.

Cryzan opened the scoring in the eighth minute when a defensive mistake by Takuma Ominami allowed Li Yuanyi to pick out the Brazilian for his seventh goal of the competition.

Shandong made it two in the 15th minute when a poorly taken Kawasaki corner set off a counterattack that ended with Gao Zhunyi burying Valeri Qazaishvili’s cross.

Sota Miura pulled one back for Kawasaki when he charged into the box and lashed home a shot from a tight angle in the 30th minute.

Kawasaki’s second goal came almost 15 minutes into the second half when Erison scored from a rebound after team-mate Marcinho had hit the post.

But just when it looked like Kawasaki had dug themselves out of trouble, Cryzan struck from distance to level the tie again.

Shandong goalkeeper Wang Dalei was shown a red card for a foul in the 79th minute but saw it rescinded when a VAR check judged there had been an offside in the build-up.