Asian Champions League 2017: Quarter Finals Review
Paul Williams
How do you begin to describe this week's AFC Champions League action?
Dramatic, engrossing, action-packed? It sums it up, but also sells it short. The two quarter finals in the east were nothing short of spectacular. Football drama at it's absolute finest.
Barcelona came back from 0-4 down after the first leg of their quarter final against PSG last year in the Champions League in Europe, but it seemed impossible that Guangzhou Evergrande could do likewise against Chinese rivals Shanghai SIPG.
In Guangzhou's first real test without Paulinho after his move to Barcelona, Shanghai smashed Guangzhou 4-0 in the first leg with an expert display of counter-attack football, with the speed and power of Hulk, Elkeson and Wu Lei too much for Guangzhou to handle.
But never count out a champion team. Guangzhou has proven time and again that they can never be discounted, and in 90 minutes of exhilarating football they pulverised Shanghai SIPG. Brazilian duo Alan and Ricardo Goulart earned every cent of their rich contracts with a brace and a hat trick respectively.
The attacks came in waves and but for some uncharacteristically poor finishing the 0-4 deficit would have been overcome by half time. A more dominant display you will struggle to find.
While they were able to overturn the 0-4 deficit with a 4-0 win of their own, sending the match into extra time, truth be told they should have won at least 6-0 on the night given the number of chances they created. It was breathtaking.
But in extra time, and with his side on the ropes, Hulk scored with a majestic free kick to give Shanghai the advantage 5-4 on aggregate.
But there was one more twist. There's always another twist.
Earning a penalty with just two minutes to play, Goulart stepped up to complete his hat trick and make it 5-5 on aggregate. You couldn't script it. Off to penalties we went.
But as exhilarating as football can be, it can be cruel in equal measure and so it was for Goulart. Only moments after dispatching a spot kick to send the match to a shootout, he stepped up to take Guangzhou's opening spot kick and saw it cannon off the post.
From hero to zero. So cruel.
Shanghai SIPG expertly tucked away all five of their penalties and despite being so utterly outplayed, emerged with a famous win and a spot in the semi final. Guangzhou Evergrande, meanwhile, are left to lick their wounds. They'll have to wait another 12 months for a chance to add a third ACL title to their trophy cabinet.
As fans were still coming down from the drama in Guangzhou on Tuesday night, we tuned it to Wednesday night's match between Urawa Reds and Kawasaki Frontale at Saitama Stadium expecting a much tamer affair, especially after Kawasaki had comprehensively defeated Urawa 3-1 in the first leg.
That especially looked the case when Elsinho scored the opening goal for Kawasaki Frontale after 19 minutes to extend their lead to 4-1 on aggregate. For most observers the game was over.
How wrong we were.
A straight red card to Shintaro Kurumaya just minutes after Urawa had equalised, followed by a strange tactical decision from Kawasaki coach Toru Oniki to sacrifice their best player in Kengo Nakamura, changed the game completely.
As soon as Urawa found the much needed second goal from the head of Zlatan Ljubijankič, to bring it back to 4-3 on aggregate with 20 minutes left to play, the improbable suddenly seemed possible. Inevitable, in fact.
The killer blows were inflicted just five minutes from time, with two goals in two minutes from Rafael Silva and Toshiyuki Takagi, putting Urawa 5-4 ahead on aggregate and sealing a famous victory. Not since 2007 has Saitama been the scene of such a magical Champions League night.
Earlier in the week in West Asia, Al Hilal stormed past last year's runner-up Al Ain, with a convincing 3-0 win in front of almost 50,000 fans in Riyadh, while Iranian giants Persepolis advanced to the semi finals for the first time with a 3-1 win over Al Ahli.
But it's the action in the east that will long be remembered. I'm still catching my breath.
Copyright: Paul Williams & Soccerphile.com
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