Guangzhou end Kashima’s reign as Asian champions
World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro moved a step closer to Asian Champions League glory as his Guangzhou Evergrande side stunned Asian champions Kashima Antlers yesterday on away goals to reach the semi-finals.
The Chinese giants, who won the competition in 2013 and 2015, go through after drawing 1-1 in Japan following a goalless stalemate in Guangzhou three weeks ago.
Cannavaro, who lifted the 2006 World Cup as Italy’s captain, will be thanking his goalkeeper Zeng Cheng, who pulled off a string of world-class saves to keep his side in the match after they grabbed the crucial away goal before halftime.
Lacklustre Kashima had won their last six home games in the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League, keeping three clean sheets.
Guangzhou go through to a semi-final against two-time champions Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan next month, with the winners meeting either Al Sadd from Qatar or Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in November’s two-legged final.
Urawa put their domestic struggles behind them to seal their place following a 1-1 draw with Shanghai SIPG to advance on the away goals rule.
The two goals scored by Urawa in a 2-2 draw in Shanghai last month proved decisive as the tie ended in a 3-3 aggregate draw, allowing the Japanese side to secure their place in the last four for the fourth time since 2007.
“We came back from China after the draw and we finished things off today,” said Urawa head coach Tsuyoshi Otsuki. “The away goals helped us a lot.”
Xavi Hernandez guided Al Sadd into the semi-finals with a 3-1 win over Al Nassr to secure a 4-3 aggregate win and set up a meeting with Al Hilal, who beat Al Ittihad 3-1 on aggregate.