A Mato Neretljak’s penalty in the first-half of extra time fired Suwon Samsung Bluewings into the semi-finals of the 2011 AFC Champions League with a 2-1 victory at Zob Ahan.
The second round match began with both sides locked at 1-1. If it had stayed this way, Suwon would have been happy enough, however Zobahan were playing at home and earned the first goal when when Mohammad Ghazi volleyed passed the keeper after 50 minutes.
The game went to 1 -1 fourteen minutes from time with Yang Sang-min’s header. It then went …

Al Sadd fought of a determined Sepahan to reach the semi-finals of the 2011 AFC Champions League 2011. The 2:1 loss means that on aggregate Al Sadd progress 4:2.
Although Sepahan won the first leg of the quarter-final 1-0 they were penalised with a 3 – 0 loss after it was discovered that they fielded an ineligible player .
In a lively start to the contest, Nadir Belhadj saw a close-range shot deflected behind by a Sepahan defender before the visitors took the lead in the sixth minute when Mohammed took a …

Al Ittihad have progressed into the semi finals of the 2011 AFC Champions League despite a 0-1 loss to FC Seoul away.
Al Ittihad who looked more dangerous in the opening minutes of the game and Kim Yong-dae was the first goalkeeper to be called into action. With 12 minutes gone, Sultan Al Numare unleashed a fierce shot just outside the area that had Kim lunging to push it away for a corner.
Seoul made their way into the game as the half progressed and controlled possession as the half drew to …

Lee Dong-gook scored four times in the second-half as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors cruised into the 2011 AFC Champions League semi-finals with a comprehensive 6-1 victory over Cerezo Osaka at Jeonju World Cup Stadium.
Jeonbuk althogh trailing 4 – 3 from the first leg, controlled most of the first half. Both the Cerezo and Jeonbul keepers showed how they earned their money early on by showing how good their reflexes are.
Jeonbuk got the break-through they were after at the 30 minute mark when Luiz Henrique played an inch-perfect pass into Eninho’s path, …

LIVE! – QF1 – JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTORS (KOR) – CEREZO OSAKA (JPN) (6 – 1) (FT) Aggregate (9 – 5)
LIVE! – QF2 – FC SEOUL (KOR)-AL ITTIHAD (KSA) (1 – 0) (FT) Aggregate (2 – 3)
LIVE! – QF3 – AL SADD (QAT)-FOOLAD MOBAREKEH SEPAHAN (IRN) (1 – 2) (FT) Aggregate (4 – 2)
LIVE! – QF4 – ZOBAHAN (IRN)-SUWON SAMSUNG BLUEWINGS (KOR) (1 – 2) (FT) Aggregate (2 – 3)

A late goal for Al Ittihad means they will enter the second leg in Korea with a comfortable 2 goal buffer after overcoming FC Seoul 3-1 in the first-leg of their 2011 AFC Champions League quarter-final.
The opening period was a little on the quite side until Naif Hazazi controlled a bouncing ball 20 yards out and then unleashed a volley that made Seoul keeper Kim Yong-dae earn his money.
Al Ittihad took the lead a just before the break when Kim Yong-dae could not get a strong enough hand on Hazazi’s …

Ten man Sepahan secured a narrow win in the quarter-finals of the 2011 AFC Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Al Sadd.
The hosts were immediately on top when in the 3rd minute Hashem Beikzadeh cut into the box before firing narrowly over.
Sepahan took the lead in the 12th minute when Al Sadd half-cleared a corner and Ibrahimi’s low strike made its way through a crowded penalty area and into the bottom corner of the net.
Ahmad Jamshidian beat the offside trap in the 34th minute but his volleyed over from …

A sea-sawing match saw Jeonbuk take the lead three times through Lee Dong-gook’s double and a goal from Cho Sung-hwan.
But Cerezo were equal to the task each time hitting back with goals from Ryuji Bando, Kiyotake and Kim Bo-kyung’s penalty before Kiyotake netted the winner nine minutes from the end.
Cerezo was the more aggressive from the outset and within minutes of the start Bando directed a Shu Kurata cross wide.
Jeonbuk however took the lead in the sixth minute. Forward Lee collected Luiz Henrique’s pass, cut in to the box and …

QF1 – CEREZO OSAKA (JPN)-JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTORS (KOR) (4 – 3) (FT)
QF4 – SUWON SAMSUNG BLUEWINGS (KOR)-ZOBAHAN (IRN) (1 – 1) (FT)
QF2 – AL ITTIHAD (KSA)-FC SEOUL (KOR) (3 – 1) (FT)
QF3 – FOOLAD MOBAREKEH SEPAHAN (IRN)-AL SADD (QAT) (1 – 0) (FT)

This week we look at the 4th quarter final between Korean power house in Samsung Bluewings and Iranian champions and Asian powerhouse in Zob Ahan.
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
K League is in full swing at the moment with 23 games already played in the 2011 season. Suwon is sitting in 4th place after 23 games with 11 wins, 3 draws and 9 loses. With 36 points, Suwon is sitting 6 points behind 3rd position.
So far in the Asian Champions League, Suwon hasn’t lost a game so far in the 2011 Asian Champions …

This week we look at the 3rd quarter final between Iranian Champions and regular Asian Champions League League contender Sepahan and Qatari champion Al Sadd. 
Sepahan
The 2011/12 Persian League is only 3 matches old with Sepahan sitting in 7th position with only 1 win so far and two draws a total of 5 points. Their first and only win was against Sanat Naft which is currently sitting in 8th position. Given that the new season is underway, Sepahan will certainly be greared up for the Quarter Final and as always will have a …

The three Korean representatives in the AFC Champions League have avoided a possible clash between each other in the quarter-finals, following the knock-out stage draw at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will be reunited with Cerezo Osaka of Japan – whom they have met twice in Group G – while FC Seoul are to face Saudi Arabian giants Al Ittihad. Suwon Samsung Bluewings will take on Zobahan of Iran for a chance to make it to the semi finals.
The winners from the Cerezo-Jeonbuk match will advance …

Whilst we are still over a month away from round 1 of the 2011 Asian Champions League Quarter Finals, I wanted to review what each of the 8 quarter finalists was up to domestically as we approach the elimination games.
Al Ittihad
Al Ittihad are currently between seasons so we will need to reflect on how they performed during the 2010/11 season which concluded in May. Al Ittihad finished second in the Saudi First Division. First position went to Saudi heavy weights Al Hilal. Al Ittihad finished in second position with 51 …

Whilst we are still over a month away from round 1 of the 2011 Asian Champions League Quarter Finals, I wanted to review what each of the 8 quarter finalists was up to domestically as we approach the elimination games.

Two goals deep into extra time helped Al Hilal avert a shock exit and reach the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League despite a 4-2 defeat to Al Gharafa.
The hosts were trailing 3-0 from the first leg but wasted no time restoring parity in the quarter-final tie with first-half goals from Mirghani Al Zain, Younus Mahmood and Othman El Assas at Al Gharafa Stadium.
Mahmood scored again in extra time to put Al Gharafa on the brink of a memorable victory but late goals by …

Al Shabab clinched a place in the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League despite a 1-0 defeat to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at King Fahd International Stadium.
Kim Jee-wong’s long-range strike midway through the first-half gave the visitors hope they could overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg of the quarter-final encounter following a disappointing defeat in Korea.
But they could not find the elusive second they needed and went out 2-1 on aggregate to their Saudi opponents.
Jeonbuk posed most of the attacking threat in a first-half …

Iranian side Zobahan have continued their fairytale Asian Champions League run, qualifying for the semi finals of the competition after their 3-2 aggregate win over defending champions Pohang Steelers.
The Esfahan club will likely face Al Hilal in the next stage of the competition assuming the Saudi giants finish the job against Qatari champions Al Gharafa later this evening.
It’s another low-point in what’s been a disappointing season for Pohang meanwhile, who have been poor in the K-League and have now seen their continental campaign come to a surprise end.
Park Chang-Hyun’s men were in …

The Suwon Bluewings came close to completing a remarkable turn-around in their all-K-League Asian Champions League quarter final against Seongnam Ilhwa, beaten 4-3 on aggregate.
After suffering a disastrous 4-1 loss on a horrid Tancheon Sports Complex pitch away from home in the first leg, a revived Suwon were always going to have a difficult task on their hands upon their return home.
They would have had to become the first ever side to come back from more than two goals down in an ACL two-legged tie and it is to the credit of …

AFC Champions League 2010 Quarter-Final Schedule

Second Leg, 22/09/10

Pohang Steelers (KOR) vs Zob Ahan (IRN) (1 – 1) (FT) (2 – 3 Agg)
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (KOR) vs Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (KOR) (2 – 0) (FT) (3 – 4 Agg)
Al Gharafa (QAT) vs Al Hilal (KSA) (4 – 2) (FT) (4 – 5 Agg)
Al Shabab (KSA) vs Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (KOR)(0 – 1) (FT) (2 – 1 Agg)

The following table shows the leading goal-scorers in the 2010 AFC Champions League. Bold indicates the players teams are still active in the tournament.
9 goals – Jose Mota (Suwon).
5 – Denilson (Bunyodkor), Enio (Jeonbuk), Farhad Majidi (Esteghlal), Flavio (Al Shabab), Leandro (Al Sadd), Clemerson (Al Gharafa), Molina (Seongnam), Mahdi Rajabzadeh (Zob Ahan, four for Mes Kerman).
4 – Shoki Hirai (Gamba Osaka), Dzenan Radoncic (Seongnam), Yasser Al Qahtani (Al Hilal), Lee Dong-gook (Jeonbuk), Sand (Al Ain), Victor (Al Ahli).