The AFC Champions League 2013 (ACL) showed the level of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) to broader Asia as three teams from the EAFF, Kashiwa Reysol (Japan), FC Seoul (Korea Republic), and Guangzhou Evergrande (China), reached last four.
After advancing to the final, two teams from the EAFF, Guangzhou Evergrande and FC Seoul vied for the title. This was the first all-EAFF ACL final since the current format began in the 2002-03 season.
The first leg of the final on the 26th October ended in a 2-2 draw. Hosts FC Seoul took the lead and after the visitors turned the game around, found an equalizer. This thrilling match provided the prospect of a more exciting and heated return leg.
As expected, the two teams played in a breathless manner when they met again on the 9th November.
Hosts Guangzhou took an early initiative. On 13 minutes, Muriqui cut inside from the right and was brought down in the area. But Bahraini referee Nawaf Shukuralla didn’t blow the whistle to give a penalty to the Chinese champions. Coach Lippi said with pride after lifting the trophy:
Conca’s left-foot shot after five minutes into the game had been denied by the post. On the 23rd minute, Elkeson troubled the away goalkeeper with an effort from range. The Brazilian trio, who had been the driving force of Guangzhou’s offence, was flourishing again on the day.
Seoul did make their chances as well. First-leg scorers Sergio Escudero and Dejan Damjanovic posed a threat to the home defence, but the away side struggled to create clear-cut chances as they were forced to spend much of the time defending.
Guangzhou continued to set the rhythm after the break. Four minutes into the second half, Muriqui went one on one with the goalkeeper through a one-two. However, he failed to find the net.
The stadium painted with the home team’s red went wild two minutes before the hour mark. Muriqui latched on to Elkeson’s pass and found himself in front of the goal with fine control. He then got away from the defenders and swept a right-foot finish into the net to trigger a burst of standing celebrations by over 50,000 home supporters.
Seoul soon fought back and, after collecting a pass from Escudero, Damjanovic scored with a fierce shot from right in front of the goal on 63 minutes.
Seoul equalized for the match, but Guangzhou still had an away-goal advantage, meaning a 1-1 draw would bring the trophy to Marcello Lippi’s side.
Despite this situation, Guangzhou didn’t ease their attacking and they still kept hunting for another goal even after the 90-minute mark without trying to waste time. Eventually, the fantastic game where the technique, tactics, and fair play spirit of both sides collided ended in a 1-1 draw and Guangzhou, having earned three-straight domestic titles, became the first Chinese club to conquer the ACL.
Guangzhou to attend the FIFA Club World Cup 2013 as Asian champions
“We beat ex-champions Urawa (Japan) in the group stage and won against Kashiwa (Japan) in the final tournament. And finally, we defeated FC Seoul in the final. So we can say we deserved to win the title in the wake of beating many giant clubs.”
As Asian champions, Guangzhou will participate in the FIFA Club World Cup 2013 to be held from the 11th December. Asian fans hope that they will win the first match against Al Ahly SC (Egypt) to face FC Bayern Munchen (Germany) in the semi-finals.
Incidentally, Japanese player Takuya Iwata plays for Oceania champions Auckland City FC (New Zealand). Fans should also give attention to how the 30-year-old defender will play in his second Club World Cup appearance.
