Vissel Kobe produced a strong second-half comeback to defeat FC Seoul 2–1 in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie, sealing a 3–1 aggregate victory to advance to the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League Elite 2025/26.
The result also marks redemption for Kobe after their continental campaign ended at the Round of 16 stage last season.
Despite entering the match with a narrow aggregate advantage, Kobe dominated possession from the opening whistle.
In the 20th minute, Patryk Klimala headed home from close range after Song Min-kyu delivered a precise pass from the left flank, catching Kobe goalkeeper Daiya Maekawa off position.
Goalkeeper Gu Sung-yun produced a crucial save in the 31st minute, blocking a powerful effort from Yoshinori Muto inside the penalty area.
Moments later, Daiju Sasaki had another opportunity but fired straight at the Seoul goalkeeper.
Further attempts from Kento Hamasaki, Yuta Goke, Tetsushi Yamakawa and Rikuto Hirose also failed to produce the equaliser before halftime as Seoul’s defence remained resilient.
Kim Jin-su forced Maekawa into a diving save with a long-range strike before Lee Seung-mo headed narrowly over the bar shortly afterwards.
Later in the match, Maekawa again came to Kobe’s rescue by tipping away a looping header from Choi Jun.
Substitute Yuya Osako almost scored when his header struck the post, a warning sign of what was to come.
The experienced forward eventually found the breakthrough in the 78th minute, ghosting behind the defence to meet a cross from Muto before sliding the ball past Gu to level the match.
In the final minute of regulation time, Yosuke Ideguchi capitalised on a poor clearance from Gu and lofted a brilliant chip from outside the penalty area into the net.
The goal secured the 2–1 victory on the night and 3–1 aggregate success, sending Vissel Kobe into the quarter-finals of Asia’s premier club competition for the first time since 2022.
Credit Photo : AFC
