Winning title is new high for ‘proud’ Antlers boss
Kashima Antlers manager Go Oiwa says winning the Asian Champions League trumps his side’s memorable 2016 Fifa Club World Cup final clash with Real Madrid.
The Japanese club were crowned Asian champions for the first time on Saturday, holding Iran’s Persepolis to a 0-0 draw in the second leg in Tehran to take the tie 2-0 on aggregate.
It means Kashima have booked a return to the Club World Cup, and a potential rematch against the Spanish giatns, in the UAE next month.
Their first match at the tournament sees them take on Mexico’s Guadalajara in the quarter-final in Al Ain on December 15.
Should they get through that, Kashima will have the chance to exact revenge against Madrid – the defending champions wait in the last four, in Abu Dhabi, on December 19.
The two sides met in 2016, where Kashima pushed Madrid all the way in the final as the host representatives in Japan, eventually losing in extra-time.
However, Oiwa declared Kashima’s first Asian triumph, their 20th major trophy in all, topped even that remarkable night in Yokohama two years ago. “I am so proud that we have won the Asian Champions League title for the first time,” he told the AFC’s official website. “We played Real Madrid in the final of the Fifa Club World Cup two years go but for me, tonight is more satisfying as we won the title.
“The name of Kashima Antlers will now echo throughout Asia.”
Oiwa paid tribute to Persepolis, who could never break down their obdurate opponents in front of 100,000 fans at a creaking Azadi Stadium – a record for the Champions League final.
“Persepolis were the strongest team we played in the Asian Champions League this year,” he said. “It is not just the team and tactics, but their fans too who were magnificent.
“I said [Friday] that our aim was to win in the Azadi Stadium, but we all saw how difficult it is to play Persepolis in their home ground. I wish them all the best.”
Like Kashima, Persepolis were seeking their first Asian crown, but could not reverse the damage done in the first leg in Japan last week.
Manager Branko Ivankovic said. “I am also so proud ... We may have lost, but this is an incentive to do better in the future. We now have the experience of having played at this level and we will improve.”