Kawasaki shock Al Nassr to reach first AFC Champions League final

Kawasaki Frontale coach Shigetoshi Hasebe praised his young players after they delivered a stunning 3-2 win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr to reach the AFC Champions League final for the first time.

Despite having just 25% possession, Kawasaki scored three goals by the 76th minute and held off a late Al Nassr surge, which included a goal from Ayman Yahya in the 87th minute. The Saudi side, featuring stars like Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Jhon Duran, and Marcelo Brozovic, failed to find an equalizer, with Ronaldo missing three late chances.

Hasebe’s bold decision to field 19-year-old Soma Kanda and 20-year-old Yuto Ozeki after a taxing extra-time win over Al Sadd paid off. Ozeki netted Kawasaki’s second goal before both youngsters were subbed off at halftime.
“We went 120 minutes just three days ago, so I had to make some tough decisions,” Hasebe said. “Our young players stepped up. They were tasked with containing Brozovic and contributed well in attack too.”

The win sets up a final clash against Al Ahli at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Saturday.
Al Nassr coach Stefano Pioli admitted his team were outplayed. “Kawasaki surprised us. Our biggest issue was a lack of discipline and too many mistakes.”

Hasebe concluded, “I’m proud we upset expectations tonight. We want to deliver another surprise in the final.”