‘We are not afraid of them': Kawasaki Frontale ready for Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr in AFC Champions League
The last side left standing in the AFC Champions League Elite who are not from Saudi Arabia insist they can upset the party as the tournament reaches its finale in Jeddah. The prospect of playing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Marcelo Brozovic might be a daunting enough challenge. Then there is the fact they are having to shoulder the burden of carrying the hopes of the whole of the eastern side of Asia. On top of that, Kawasaki Frontale have had one less day to prepare for Wednesday night's semi-final against Al Nassr. The short turnaround has been further exacerbated by the fact they required extra-time to beat Qatar's Al Sadd in their quarter-final on Sunday. If the opening round of matches are any sort of a guide, then few would give Kawasaki a chance. While they battled past Sadd, the star-studded Saudi sides crushed everything in their wake in their last-eight fixtures. Al Hilal beat Gwangju 7-0, Al Ahli won 3-0 against Buriram United, while Nassr cruised into their game against Kawasaki by beating fellow J League side Yokohama F Marinos 4-1. Such dominance is understandable given the outlay the Saudi league has been making on players, according to Shigetoshi Hasebe, the Kawasaki coach. 'If you look at the results, that tells everything,' Hasebe said. 'This country has invested a lot in football. That is why three teams have been in the semi-final. 'But we are playing football, and nobody know what is going to happen. Many people think the teams from Saudi will win, but I want to break that image tomorrow night.' Hasebe said his side will be focused solely on themselves rather than the idea they are representing the whole of the East Asia conference. Teams from that side of the continent have traditionally dominated Asia's top competition. Since 2006, Al Ain, Hilal and Sadd are the only three West Asia clubs to have won the Champions League. And yet the balance has shifted since world stars started to flood into the Saudi league around two years ago. 'It is hard to pick a specific name; all 11 players in their starting line up are key players,' Hasebe said of Nassr. 'They play especially well in attack, but in defence I can see some chances. We are a representative from East Asia, but also, we are just a club. 'We cannot have that kind of responsibility on us, as the representative from the eastern side [of the continent]. We are just focused on trying to win, that is all we can do tomorrow.' Kento Tachibanada, the Kawasaki midfielder, said his team will not be thinking about the names in the opposition line up once the game kicks off. 'Yes, we are the only club left from East Asia, but the winner of this competition can only be one club,' Tachibanada said. 'We are playing to go to the final and to win this title. The key point is not to be afraid of the famous players and the big names. They have many talented players.' Stefano Pioli, Nassr's Italian manager, said his side are not underestimating the side from Japan. 'We are very confident in our team, we trust them and we are ready to make the final,' Pioli said. 'Our opposition are very organised, they have fast players who like to pass the ball, and they have a good line up. But we are prepared for them. 'I think the match will be tough because all the teams who have reached this stage deserve to be in the semi-finals. It is going to be a very challenging match. We are ready for the challenge.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
2 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Yildiz powers Juventus to victory over Wydad, Inter end Urawa's CWC hopes
Kenan Yildiz scored two goals and had a hand in another as Juventus beat Wydad Casablanca 4-1 at the Club World Cup on Sunday to close in on a place in the last 16. The Turkish international forward was unlucky not to be credited with Juve's early opener which went down as an own goal by Abdelmounaim Boutouil. However, there was no doubt that Yildiz was the scorer of the second with a tremendous strike from outside the box. Thembinkosi Lorch pulled one back for Wydad before the break, but Yildiz got his second of the afternoon on 69 minutes before a late Dusan Vlahovic penalty sealed the victory for the Italian side. Having already defeated Emirati side Al Ain 5-0 in their opening match, Juve have scored nine goals and have the maximum six points after two outings in Group G. 'I'm happy. It was not easy. It was hot, but it was a good win. At the end our quality came out,' Igor Tudor told broadcaster DAZN, before hailing the performance of Yildiz. 'He has great potential. He has a lot of skills but more important than skills is his brain, that is the key. A wonderful player, so there is a big future in front of him.' Moroccan giants Wydad are eliminated with this defeat following a 2-0 loss at the hands of City in their first outing. Yildiz, the 20-year-old German-born winger, was among the scorers against Al Ain and he was the star of the show here in front of 31,975 fans at Lincoln Financial Field. Juve, who finished fourth in Serie A in the campaign just finished, went with an unchanged starting line-up meaning the likes of Vlahovic and Manuel Locatelli began the game on the bench. Prolific against Al Ain, they wasted no time in putting the team that finished third in the Moroccan league to the sword. The opening goal came on six minutes as Khephren Thuram teed up Yildiz and his shot beat goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid with the aid of a slight deflection off Boutouil. It was 2-0 on 16 minutes via a superb effort, as Andrea Cambiaso went on a piercing run in from the left before laying the ball off for Yildiz to smash in a shot on the half-volley into the top corner. Wydad quickly pulled one back as veteran Nordin Amrabat's fine pass in behind the defence released South African winger Lorch to control and clip a shot past the goalkeeper. Yet Juventus were well on top and Cambiaso hit the post just prior to the hour mark before Randal Kolo Muani somehow failed to turn in Lloyd Kelly's ball across the face of goal. Their third goal did arrive just after the midway point in the second half when France forward Kolo Muani collected possession on the left and then slipped in Yildiz who finished into the corner. It was his third goal at the tournament so far, and his 12th in all competitions since the season began. Earlier, Inter Milan came from behind to beat Urawa Red Diamonds and knock the Japanese side out of the Club World Cup. Fluminense rallied in the second half to beat Ulsan 4-2 and knock out the South Korean side while Monterrey and River Plate ended goalless. At Lumen Field in Seattle, Ryoma Watanabe got an early opening goal for Urawa Reds, who were backed by a noisy contingent of their supporters. But captain Lautaro Martinez — who got Inter's equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Monterrey of Mexico in their opening game — repeated the trick to level matters with a clever overhead kick 12 minutes from time. Valentin Carboni was then the unlikely hero as he grabbed the winner two minutes into injury time. The 20-year-old Argentine had not played a competitive game since early October after suffering a serious knee injury while on loan at Marseille. Carboni had not made an appearance for Inter in over two years, but he was on to hand to sidefoot home when the ball fell to him in the area. 'Our opponents play with their hearts and to counter that as a team we need to play with more pride, be humble and know how to suffer,' Martinez told broadcaster DAZN. The result left some Urawa fans in tears and Inter level on four points with River Plate with the two teams meeting next. Agencies
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
Marquez stars in Italian MotoGP sprint race
Marc Marquez continued his march towards a seventh elite world title by winning Saturday's sprint race at the Italian MotoGP and extending his lead at the top of the championship. The Spanish motorcycling great had to battle back from a disastrous start from pole position at Mugello to claim the full 12 points and move 35 points clear of his closest challenger and brother Alex Marquez. Marc Marquez, who dropped back into the middle of the pack after fluffing his start on his Ducati bike, eventually finished 1.441sec ahead of his second-placed sibling after overtaking him on the fourth lap. 'At the start I don't know exactly what happened. The launch code was in, then I took it out and then I put it in again, then I lost a lot of positions,' he said. 'But we gave a good show out there and we won the sprint race. That was not the main target, the target was to try to not lose a lot of points, but I hope all these Italian fans enjoyed the show because the comeback was super nice.' His teammate Francesco Bagnaia, who has won the last three GPs on home soil at Mugello, dropped back a position into third and is now 98 points off the pace in the title race. 'I feel a bit disappointed, I would have liked to have given something more to this amazing crowd but unluckily this season I can't do what I know how to do, so it's a bit of a shame,' said Bagnaia. Marc Marquez celebrates after winning the MotoGP sprint race. AP 'But it is what it is, we have time to solve the problems and try to keep all information possible to try to do something more tomorrow.' It was his eighth win from nine sprint races this season after conquering his 100th career pole earlier on Saturday, and sets him up for another perfect weekend in what has been a dream campaign in his first season with Ducati's factory team. Marc Marquez has won the sprint and main race at the Thailand, Argentina, Qatar and Aragon MotoGP with eight race weekends completed so far in 2025. The 32-year-old is already red-hot favourite to draw level with great rival Valentino Rossi on seven world crowns, and move one behind all-time record winner Giacomo Agostini. Rossi was in the stands to watch more domination from Marc Marquez who in September he called a 'dirty' rider who actively worked to stop the Italian icon from winning the 2015 title, which would have been his eighth. Agence France-Presse
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Gulf Today
Al Ain shifts focus to City after Juventus loss, says Ratnik
Marcel Ratnik, Al Ain football club's central defender, has affirmed that the team has put their recent loss to Italian giants Juventus behind them and is now fully focused on their next challenge—a clash against Manchester City in the second round of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Ratnik acknowledged the disappointment of the opening round performance but expressed confidence in the team's ability to bounce back stronger. "We are well aware that the result in our previous match was far from satisfactory," Ratnik said. "However, we have pledged to change the way the team presents itself moving forward. We've immediately begun working hard to elevate our overall performance, and training sessions have been intense and highly focused." He added that the coaching staff has played a vital role in addressing the team's weaknesses, correcting errors from the last match, and reinforcing key tactical areas ahead of the showdown with the English champions. 'We're determined to rise to the challenge. Facing Manchester City, one of the best teams in world football, will not be easy—but we believe in our abilities. Al Ain is a club with a champion's mentality, and we have what it takes to deliver a strong and memorable performance,' Ratnik emphasized. Regarding preparations, the Slovenian defender highlighted the positive atmosphere within the squad. 'Our preparations are going very well. All the players are focused, the spirit in the camp is excellent, and we are united by a common determination to give our absolute best.' Ratnik also took the opportunity to address the club's loyal fan base. 'We deeply appreciate your continuous support and belief in us. We promise to give everything we have in the remaining matches. Your presence in the stands means the world to us—it truly makes a difference. We look forward to seeing you, just as you've always been there for us.' Al Ain will meet Manchester City on Monday.
