Evergrande advances but Wanderers stare at exit
Print Edition
Defending champion Western Sydney is on the brink of Asian Champions League elimination after conceding two second-half goals yesterday in a 1-2 home loss to Kashima Antlers, including Mu Kanazaki’s stoppage-time winner.
The Wanderers, in last place in Group H, must beat former champion Guangzhou Evergrande on May 5 to have any chance of joining the Chinese club in the knockout stages.
Fabio Cannavaro’s Guangzhou secured top spot in the group with a 0-0 draw against FC Seoul, the team it beat in the 2013 final.
The Chinese Super League champion has 10 points and is four clear of Seoul and Kashima, which meet in the last round of the group stage, and five clear of the Wanderers, who won the competition in a fairytale debut last year.
At a rain-soaked Parramatta Stadium in Sydney, Nikita Rukavytsya gave the Wanderers the lead in the 24th minute when he capitalized on a defensive mistake and slotted home from close range.
Shuto Yamamoto missed a chance to equalize soon after, his weak header easily punched away by goalkeeper Ante Covic, and the Wanderers held onto a 1-0 lead at the break after missing two further chances to extend the lead.
Composed strike
But the seven-time Japanese champion dominated the second half with Shoma Doi equalizing with a composed strike in the 66th and Kanazaki sealing the victory.
“It was disappointing. We were sitting too deep, letting them have wave after wave of attack,” said Western Sydney forward Mark Bridge, who remained confident the Wanderers could pick up three points in the last of the group matches in Guangzhou to keep their chances alive.
To progress, the Wanderers need to win in Guangzhou and hope for a draw between Seoul and Kashima.
In Group G, Suwon Bluewings scored twice in the last 15 minutes in a 2-1 comeback win over Urawa Red Diamonds to take a share of top spot with Beijing Guo’an, which lost 0-1 at home to Australia’s Brisbane Roar.
Suwon and Beijing each have 10 points and will meet in the last group game. Brisbane, on seven points, hosts Urawa on the same night.
Saudi Arabia’s al-Hilal, the 2014 runner-up, sealed a place in the knockout stage for the seventh consecutive tournament with a 2-1 win over Uzbek club Lokomotiv Tashkent in Group C.
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