Al Nassr 2-3 Kawasaki Frontale HIGHLIGHTS, AFC Champions League Elite semifinal: Ronaldo and Co crash out as Kawasaki books final berth
Al Nassr 2-3 Kawasaki Frontale HIGHLIGHTS, AFC Champions League Elite semifinal: Ronaldo and Co crash out as Kawasaki books final berth
Ronaldo had three chances right at the end to equalise, but he failed to find the target. He, along with his Al Nassr team, crashes out of the AFC Champions League Elite after a 3-2 loss against Kawasaki.
Kawasaki books its maiden final berth in the competition.
Ronaldo is inches away from scoring the equaliser but he fails to find the target from point blank range.
This time, Ronaldo keeps his effort on target. He shoots hard and low, and the ball goes under the wall. Yamaguchi makes the save with his leg.
Takai fouls Wesley right at the edge of the box and Al Nassr has another freekick.
A cross comes in from the left and Yamaguchi was under pressure for a while but he does well toi jump and collect the ball.
Al Nassr has a free kick after Otavio goes down in the final third, and the free kick is in Ronaldo’s region.
The Portuguese start goes for goal but once again, he hits the wall.
Six minutes added at the end of the second half!
There was a VAR check for a possible penalty after Laporte goes down inside the Kawasaki box but the check is complete and it is a penalty.
Ayemn Yahya scores a goal from nothing. He shoots from distance, and his shot takes the slightest of deflections and ends up at the back of the net.
Mane takes a shot at goal from the edge of the box but his shot flies high. Mane is the only player with some proper attacking output.
Duran finds himself with some space at the edge of the box and shoots low, aiming for the far corner but cannot keep his shot on target.
Angelo sends a cross at the backpost for Ronaldo, who puts Yamaguchi under pressure but the Kawasaki keeper does enough to palm the ball away.
Wesley cuts in from the left and shoots hard and low at goal but the ball is blocked by the sea of bodies inside the Kawasaki penalty area.
Alireza is fouled by Sazaki, and Al Nassr has a free kick in a dangerous position. Ronaldo stands over the ball.
Ronaldo goes for glory but the wall does its job.
Erison shows some top-class footwork to skip away from Laporte at the left byline. He makes his way inside the box and squares it for Ienaga, who taps the ball inside the box with the simplest of finishes.
Al Ghanam tries to carry the ball inside the box and find some space to shoot. However, Takai is there again to put pressure and he does it well and snatches the ball away from the Al Nassr player.
Kawasaki sub: IN- Sasaki OUT- Van Wermeskerken
Yamamoto puts in an excellent challenge to prevent Otavio from delivering a cross. Otavio goes down, and the Al Nassr players look for a penalty. But the referee points to the corner flag, which is the correct decision.
It seems like Laporte has taken a serious knock as he applies the ice pack given to him by the medical team. Pioli would not want lose such an important player, that too given he came on late in the first half.
Kawasaki sub: IN- Ienaga OUT- Marcinho
Wakizaka tries to create some space and go for the shot from inside the box but then runs out of it as he delays his shot.
Boushal tries to find the head of Ronaldo with a deep cross from the left flank but it is an easy collect for Yamaguchi.
Kawasaki sub: IN- Kawahara OUT- Tachibanada
Kawasaki would have surely scored a third as Yamamoto sets up Erison for a tap-in with a low cross from the left, but Bento dives to get the slightest of touches and divert the ball away from Erison. That is such a crucial save given the circumstances.
Mane sends the ball into the middle with a good cutback. Duran was readying himself to take the shot but the cross was intercepted before the ball reached the Colombian.
Nawaf Boushal cuts in from the left and shoots hard and low at goal but Yamaguchi is in a good position to catch the ball.
Kawasaki subs: IN- Wakizaka, Erison OUT- Ozeki, Kanda
Kawasaki leading Al Nassr 2-1 as the second half of the AFC Champions League Elite semifinal gets underway!
Goals from Ito and Ozeki keep Kawasaki in a 2-1 lead against Al Nassr at half-time!
Duran crosses the ball inside the box, looking to find Ronaldo but Takai does well to reach the ball first and head it to safety.
Three minutes added at the end of the first-half!
Miura makes a great run from his own half and enters the final third, delivering a low cross to the near-post. Simakan is put under pressure from Ito but the former manages to send the ball out for a corner.
Al Nassr subs: IN- Angelo, Laporte OUT- Alhassan, Alajami
Kawasaki charges forward, putting the Al Nassr defence under pressure. Ito carries the ball inside the box and takes a shot at goal. Bento makes the save, but the rebound falls to Ozeki is quick to follow up and put the ball at the back of the net.
Al Nassr booking Alajami sees a yellow card for pulling back Ozeki. It is the first booking of the night.
Brozovic’s cross from the right finds Ronaldo, who puts away a dangerous header only to see the ball rattle the crossbar.
A long throw inside the box leads to the ball falling kindly for Ronaldo, who goes for a bicycle kick but he fails to make a proper connection with the ball and his effort is wide.
Marcinho cuts in and shoots at the near-post from a tight angle, but Bento is positioned well to palm the ball away.
Boushal does well to get to the end of a long ball on the left. He finds Mane with a pass, who cuts in and takes a shot at goal. The ball takes a deflection on its way to the goal and ends up at the back of the net. A touch of luck in that but Mane and Al Nassr will not mind one bit.
Takai goes for glory, taking on a couple of Al Nassr players and then trying to get inside the Al Nassr box instead of finding a teammate. However, he ends up losing the ball,l and Al Nassr tries to start a counter but the ball to Ronaldo is disappointing which allows Al Nassr to get back into shape.
Kawasaki is not exactly sitting back and just soaking pressure, but it is surely inviting AL Nassr to come and break down their defence. But when Kawasaki is pushing, it is doing so as a team.
Al Nassr does well to go on the break. Duran gets the ball on the left, and he has acres of space ahead of him. He decides to go for the shot himself but fails to hit the target. Ronaldo, who had made a run at the far post, was not happy at Duran’s decision to shoot from that tight angle.
Brozovic swings a dangerous cross inside the Kawasaki box from a freekick, but Takai is alert and heads the ball away for a corner. The pace of the ball made it difficult but Takai handled it well given the pressure he was under.
Marcinho sends a cross to the middle, which is cleared away, but the ball falls to Ito at the edge of the box, and the player goes for a first-time volley and rattles the net with immaculate precision. That was a picture-perfect finish from the Japanese player.
Otavio gets the ball on the left flank and then goes for a cutback, trying to find Ronaldo. However, the ball is intercepted before it reaches the Al Nassr captain.
Marcinho presses well to snatch the ball off Brozovic. He then goes on a mazy run and takes a shot from inside the Al Nassr box. However, he fails to hit the target.
Ito swings an excellent cross inside the box for Marcinho, but Simakan reads the danger to get ahead of the Kawasaki forward and clear the ball.
Al Nassr makes a fast start, and Duran gets to the end of a pass, makes his way inside the box and shoots low, aiming for the far corner. However, Kawsaki keeper Yamaguchi gets down quickly to make the save.
The first half of the AFC Champions League Elite semifinal between Al Nassr and Kawasaki Frontale is underway at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
Yamaguchi(GK); Muira, Maruyama, Takai, Sai van Wermeskerken; Tachibanada, Yamamoto; Marcinho, Ozeki, Ito; Kanda
Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s live coverage of the AFC Champions League Elite semifinal between Al Nassr and Kawasaki from the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
