Kobe cruise into ACLE last 16, joined by Kawasaki, Marinos
Vissel Kobe cruised into the Asian Champions League Elite knockout stage on Tuesday after brushing aside Shanghai Port of China 4-0 at home in their penultimate match in the league stage.
Kobe were joined by their fellow J-League sides in the top eight in the east region after Kawasaki Frontale also eased to a 4-0 victory at 10-man Pohang Steelers in South Korea, and Yokohama F Marinos, who play on Wednesday, were assured of their progress courtesy of results elsewhere.
The home side only needed to wait 11 minutes for the opener at Noevir Stadium as defender Li Shuai totally missed his header and left Yoshinori Muto to drill home.
The home side failed to make their dominance count until a quickfire double after the break put the game to bed against the side managed by former Yokohama F Marinos and 2022 J-League-winning manager Kevin Muscat.
Yuya Osako scores Vissel Kobe’s fourth goal against Shanghai Port in an Asian Champions League Elite match at Noevir Stadium in Kobe on Feb. 11, 2025. (Kyodo)
Yuya Kuwasaki blasted in off the bar from inside the box for Kobe’s second in the 54th minute and Koya Yuruki swept home Muto’s low cross to the far post on a counter just two minutes later to deflate the visitors.
Kobe had a 75th-minute header from Niina Tominaga ruled out for an unspecified reason, and Yuya Osako saw his penalty saved three minutes later. But the former Japan and Werder Bremen forward made sure he got on the scoresheet after sliding in to volley Takahiro Ogihara’s in-swinging free kick in the 81st minute.
Yuya Osako (C) celebrates with his teammates after scoring Vissel Kobe’s fourth goal against Shanghai Port in an Asian Champions League Elite match at Noevir Stadium in Kobe on Feb. 11, 2025. (Kyodo)
“I’m happy to win at home and it was great in terms of performance too, as we managed to do what we wanted to,” manager Takayuki Yoshida said. “We’ll switch our attention and prepare well for the start of the season (in the J-League this weekend).”
Shin Yamada heads Kawasaki Frontale into the lead against Pohang Steelers in an Asian Champions Elite match in Pohang, South Korea, on Feb. 11, 2025. (Kyodo)
In manager Shigetoshi Hasebe’s first game in charge, Kawasaki led through Shin Yamada’s 38th-minute header before Jonathan Aspropotamitis received a second yellow for Pohang five minutes later.
Yasuto Wakizaka steered home in the 71st minute, So Kawahara poked in a cross three minutes later before Erison headed home to complete the scoring in the 88th minute.
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