12/09/25 08:54:00
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12/09 08:52 CST Vissel Kobe salvages late draw to stay atop Asian Champions
League group
Vissel Kobe salvages late draw to stay atop Asian Champions League group
Japanese club Vissel Kobe remained atop the eastern zone of the AFC Champions
League with a 2-2 draw at home against Chengdu Rongcheng of China on Tuesday.
Kobe needs just a point from its final two games to advance to the round of 16,
with the top eight of each 12-team group advancing.
Yoshinori Muto opened the scoring in the 18th minute, but two goals from Felipe
Silva put the Chinese club in front. Daiju Sasaki converted a stoppage-time
penalty to salvage a draw in the final game under coach Takayuki Yoshida, who
is stepping down at the end of the year after leading Kobe to the 2023 and 2024
J.League titles.
"It was a match we had to win and I'm disappointed because I wanted to send
coach Taka off with a victory in his final match," Muto said. "We know how
difficult it is to bring such a team together and it is the coach who made it
possible for us to win the double crown."
Fellow Japanese club Machida Zelvia moved into second in its first continental
campaign with a 3-1 win over two-time champion Ulsan HD of South Korea.
Chinese champion Shanghai Port stayed bottom after a 0-0 draw with Johor Darul
Ta'zim of Malaysia.
Elsewhere, Buriram United of Thailand and South Korea's Gangwon FC drew 2-2.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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