Andres Iniesta rolled back the years to take Vissel Kobe into their first Asian Champions League quarter-final as the Spanish World Cup-winner opened the scoring in the Japanese club’s 2-0 victory over Shanghai SIPG in Doha on Monday.
Iniesta won the battle of high profile foreign players as Vissel downed an SIPG side led by former Chelsea and Brazil winger Oscar, with Kobe joining Suwon Bluewings, Ulsan Hyundai and Beijing Guoan in Tuesday’s draw for the next round.
South Korea's Suwon, twice winners of the Asian title almost two decades ago, secured their involvement in the quarter-finals with a 3-2 come-from-behind win over Yokohama F Marinos.
The new coronavirus-delayed competition is being played in a biosecure bubble, with a place in the final on Dec. 19 against Persepolis at stake for clubs from the east of the continent.
The Iranian champions advanced to the decider in October when they emerged from a centralised competition also played in Doha for teams from the western half of the Asian confederation.
Iniesta kept alive Kobe’s quest for a place in the final and his own ambition of a fifth continental club crown - his first in Asia having won four UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona - when he put the Japanese ahead in the 31st minute.
The 36-year-old received Hotaru Yamaguchi’s pass before turning and sliding between a pair of defenders and hitting a shot that goalkeeper Chen Wei failed stop skidding under his body.
SIPG felt aggrieved to have gone behind after Li Shenglong had seen his effort ruled out for a foul on keeper Daiya Maekawa while Oscar went close with a free kick that fizzed just wide.
But the Chinese side’s hopes suffered a fatal blow five minutes into the second half when Daigo Nishi stretched to volley in Kyogo Furuhashi’s pass to seal the win for Kobe.
The victory came at a price when Iniesta had to leave the field clutching his hip 22 minutes from time.
Suwon punished a profligate Yokohama side later on Monday when Park Kun-ha’s outfit came from a goal behind to knock out the 2019 J-League champions.
Brazilian striker Erik had given Ange Postecoglou’s team the lead 20 minutes into a first half dominated by the Japanese, who squandered several opportunities to add to their advantage.
They were to rue those misses as Kim Tae-hwan levelled from outside the area in the 57th minute and Kim Min-woo netted the second in the 82nd following a neat one-two with substitute Kim Gun-hee that tore the Marinos defence open.
Han Suk-jong then added a third three minutes from time with a long-distance lob that left keeper Powell Obinna Obi helpless and rendered Ado Onaiwu’s added-time header a consolation.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Ken Ferris)
