Seoul: Go Yo-han scored a crucial stoppage time winner and kept his nerve in the shootout as Korea Republic’s FC Seoul advanced to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League 7-6 on penalties after a 3-2 second leg win over Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds on Wednesday saw the last 16 tie finish 3-3 on aggregate.
A goal down from last week’s first leg in Saitama, the home side opened the scoring just before the half hour mark at Seoul World Cup Stadium through Dejan Damjanovic but, despite both sides having second half chances, the score remained the same as the tie went to extra-time with the sides locked at 1-1 on aggregate.
Then, just three minutes in, the tournament’s leading scorer Adriano tapped home to put FC Seoul in control only for a Tadanari Lee double to seemingly put 2007 champions Urawa into the last eight for the first time since 2008.
But Go’s stunning finish two minutes into added time took the tie to penalties and, after Yoshiaki Komai had missed Urawa’s eighth spot-kick, Kim Dong-woo stepped up to seal FC Seoul’s passage to the last eight.
“I don’t want to have to go through that kind of game again,” said Seoul coach Choi Yong-soo. “It was very tough but I had faith in the players and we had some luck.
“We didn’t give up and we kept going to the end and that is why we ended up as winners. We are delighted to move into the last eight, and all the teams remaining are excellent and strong.
“Just like tonight, we will keep going until the end in the AFC Champions League – we will never give up.”
Needing to claw back a one-goal deficit from the first leg, FC Seoul started with purpose and Ju Se-jong curled his free-kick from 20 yards just wide of the mark in the second minute, before Adriano was inches away from connecting with Ju’s pinpoint ball into the area 10 minutes later.
Urawa knew a goal would leave the hosts with a mountain to climb, though, and Ryota Moriwaki’s sweetly struck effort from distance midway through the first half sailed narrowly wide of goalkeeper Yu Sang-hun’s right post as the tie remained delicately poised.
But FC Seoul broke the deadlock on 29 minutes when Adriano robbed Wataru Endo just outside the Urawa area before breaking forward and presenting Montenegrin Damjanovic with the simple task of tapping home from six yards for his fourth goal of the campaign.
Then shortly before the interval Go was alert to clear Yuki Abe’s flicked header from Yosuke Kashiwagi’s corner from right off the line.
Damjanovic had a golden opportunity to double his side’s advantage two minutes after the restart when he raced on to Kim Dong-woo’s long ball over the top before directing his effort on the bounce from just inside the area to close to goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa.
FC Seoul pushed forward looking for a second and Go was off target just before the hour, but as the game wore on, it was Urawa who looked the more likely and Endo’s goalbound effort from inside the area was superbly blocked by Kim Won-sik with 10 minutes remaining.
Then with seven minutes remaining Zlatan Ljubijankic toe-poked wide from a narrow angle after being played in by Tsukasa Umesaki, before Park Chu-young and Adriano missed late chances for FC Seoul.
The home side started the first period of extra-time with renewed vigour and re-took the lead after just three minutes when Ju slipped a lovely through ball to Park, who squared from the right side of area to give Adriano an easy finish for his 11th of the competition.
Urawa continued to push forward, though, and Lee headed in from Komai’s cross-goal header with eight minutes remaining of the second half before the striker scored again three minutes later after being teed up by Umesaki.
But two minutes into added time Gu fired a wonderful left-foot effort from 20 yards that flew past Nishikawa to take the game to penalties.
After the first five penalties were scored, captain Osmar Barba fired over FC Seoul’s third spot-kick, before custodian Nishikawa missed the chance to send Urawa through.
And after Komai saw Urawa’s eighth penalty saved by Yu, Kim made no mistake to send FC Seoul into the quarter-finals for the third time in four years.
“This is a very painful loss,” said Urawa coach Mihailo Petrovic. “It was difficult for us in the first half as Seoul played well, but we found our rhythm in the second half and got the goals we needed in extra-time.
“Conceding the third was especially frustrating as, obviously, that made all the difference. We had the chances to win but, in football, the result is what people remember.”
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