Underdog Frontale topple Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr to reach ACL Elite final
Kawasaki Frontale spectacularly ripped up the script to reach the Asian Champions League Elite final with a 3-2 semifinal victory that dumped Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr out of the competition on Wednesday.
Frontale advanced to the continental final for the first time.
The big-spending Saudi Pro League team was eliminated in Jeddah when Yuto Ozeki and Akihiro Ienaga struck after Sadio Mane's deflected effort in the 28th minute had canceled out Tatsuya Ito's 10th-minute opener for the J. League side.
Aiman Yahya scored from distance with three minutes left for Al-Nassr to set up a tense finish, but Frontale held on for the win.
Kawasaki will next face Al-Ahli, another Saudi side packed with high-profile foreign internationals, in the final on Saturday, with both clubs looking to win their maiden continental crown.
"It was a very difficult game, but the players were able to show their best performance on the pitch," Frontale coach Shigetoshi Hasebe said. "We're showing what we've been building since preseason, and I'm happy with that."
Underdog Kawasaki, which needed extra time to defeat Qatar's Al-Sadd in the quarterfinals on Sunday, made an encouraging start, with Marcinho outmuscling Marcelo Brozovic to win possession 35 yards from the goal before shooting wide.
Hasebe's outfit took an unexpected lead four minutes later.
Ozeki's pass to the left found Marcinho and, after the forward's effort to center the ball was headed towards the edge of the area by defender Mohamed Simakan, the unmarked Ito lashed a first-time volley into the top corner to stun the Saudi fans.
Al-Nassr struggled to find its rhythm in the opening stages, and a Jhon Duran shot that flew high and wide after he was fed by Ronaldo in the 18th minute was a rare scoring chance for Stefano Pioli's side.
That changed when Mane evened the score, with the former Liverpool man benefitting from a slight deflection off the shoulder of Yuichi Maruyama that took his right-foot shot past Kawasaki goalkeeper Louis Yamaguchi.
Ronaldo then rattled the frame with a header moments after sending an overhead effort wide of the target as Al-Nassr started to take control of proceedings.
But with four minutes left in the half, Kawasaki reclaimed the lead through the doggedness of Ito, whose determined running unsettled the Al-Nassr defense. While Bento saved the winger's close-range shot, Ozeki calmly converted the rebound.
Frontale's decisive third came 14 minutes from time after Erison drove along the Al-Nassr byline to set up fellow substitute Ienaga.
Yahya thumped home Al-Nassr's second in the 87th minute before Yamaguchi twice denied an increasingly desperate Ronaldo in injury time as Kawasaki claimed a famous win.
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