Football: Kawasaki edge Al Sadd to reach ACLE semifinals
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (Kyodo) -- Japan's Kawasaki Frontale advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Champions League Elite football tournament with a 3-2 extra-time victory over Qatar's Al Sadd on Sunday.
Yasuto Wakizaka scored the winner eight minutes into the first half of extra time at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Kawasaki went ahead twice, but Al Sadd equalized both times.
Erison opened the scoring in the fourth minute before Paulo Otavio hit back five minutes later.
Kawasaki went into halftime with a 2-1 lead thanks to a fine finish by Marcinho in the 21st minute.
However, the Qatari side leveled the score again when Claudinho smashed in a powerful strike in the 71st minute.
Kawasaki will next face Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi club Al Nassr on Wednesday. The other semifinal will be played Tuesday between Al Hilal and Al Ahli, both of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is hosting all matches from the quarterfinals onward.
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They'd been partying in the streets of Munich throughout the day, but that was nothing compared to the scenes of joy when captain Marquinhos held the trophy aloft with fireworks and golden confetti exploding behind him. 'I have nothing left, I have given everything,' Marquinhos told broadcaster Canal Plus. 'The fans are proud of us. Make the most of it guys, I love you.' After so many setbacks in this competition, PSG truly delivered on the night. It took just 12 minutes for the French champion to go ahead with a move of speed and precision when Vitinha's threaded pass into the box found the feet of Doué. The forward could have shot, but instead slid in Hakimi to tap into an open net. Former Inter player Hakimi muted his celebrations, but the PSG fans went wild. Eight minutes later and the lead was doubled when Doué's shot from the right of the box deflected off Federico Dimarco and past Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer. He got his second in the 63rd, sliding the ball into the bottom corner when through on goal. Kvaratskhelia added the fourth 10 minutes later and Mayulu struck in the 86th, just two minutes after coming on. Doué and Mayulu became the third and fourth teenagers to score in a Champions League final following Patrick Kluivert in 1995 and Carlos Alberto in 2004. Luis Enrique doubles and trebles Luis Enrique, who won the 2015 Champions League with Barcelona, became the seventh coach to win the trophy with two different teams, joining greats Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. He also led PSG to a first treble of trophies — the Champions League added to Ligue 1 and the French Cup — matching his achievement with Barcelona 10 years ago. His players threw him high in the air in celebration after the whistle. 'We are ambitious, we are going to continue to conquer the football world,' he said. For PSG, this moment has been 14 years in the making since it was bought by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011 and, awash with newfound riches, targeted marquee signings to speed up its route to the top. Galacticos era In came superstars Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham and Edinson Cavani. The ante was further upped with the arrivals of Neymar for a world record $262 million, Mbappe and finally Messi, allowing PSG to field possibly the richest array of forwards ever assembled, but still no Champions League trophy to show for it. The departure of that last stellar trio over the past two years has been the turning point, with a greater focus on the team rather than a collection of stars. Not that PSG's transformation hasn't come at a cost. It may make for a nice narrative that it has eschewed the big spending approach of before to organically assemble a team to beat all-comers from across Europe. The opposite is true. While it is without the marquee players of the past, this is still one of the most expensive squads in world soccer. The win will also raise more questions about nation state involvement in soccer and so-called sportswashing, given Qatar's lavish backing of PSG in enabling it to conquer Europe. It's victory comes just two years after Abu Dhabi-backed Manchester City won the trophy, again against Inter. Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund owns Newcastle, which will return to the Champions League next season with ambitions of its own. Inter disappointment Inter, meanwhile, was on track for a treble just over a month ago, but has finished the season empty-handed. Having pushed Manchester City close in the final of 2023 in Istanbul, the Italian giant was totally outclassed by PSG. The sight of many empty seats on Inter's side of the stadium during the second half suggested fans had seen enough. 'We are extremely disappointed,' coach Simone Inzaghi said. 'Defeats make you stronger. We've been through this before when we lost the final in Istanbul, but the following year we won the league title.'
