Yokohama F.Marinos, a club from Japan reached to quarter-final after beating Bangkok United, a club from Thailand scoring 1-0 in the AFC Champions League 2023/24 round of 16 East Zone at Yokohama International Stadium.
The first game was a 2-2 draw on the 14th, the first game under new manager Harry Kewell. Marinos scored 2 goals first, but Bangkok caught up with 2 goals.
Marinos gained possession of the ball in the first half as time passed. Élber and Watanabe took shots near the enemy’s half, but they missed the target. They calmly blocked Bangkok U’s counterattacks and fired nearly 10 shots, but no shots were on target in the first 45 minutes. The first half ended scoreless.
Marinos stepped up their attack from the start of the second half. Although he can penetrate into the enemy’s pocket, he is still far from the goal frame. Two changes were made in the 60th minute. Élber and Tehi were dropped, and Ryo Miyaichi and Jun Amano were brought on. Immediately after, Amano created a decisive opportunity from the right side, and Miyaichi was in the centre of the connection but was blocked by the opponent.
Marinos creates more chances with the participation of Miyaichi and Amano. In the 68th minute, Yang raised a cross from the right side, and Amano, in front of the goal, met it with a single touch, but it also missed the target. In the 71st minute, Miyaichi dribbled through from the left side. Although fouled on the way, he exited the stadium with his aggressiveness.
In the 79th minute, Yokohama FM created a golden opportunity. Watanabe passed inside from the left side, and A. Lopez collected the ball and fired a right-footed shot from a cut-in to the enemy’s left. Goalkeeper Patiwat Khammai barely saved the ball with his left hand, and the ball hit the right post of the goal. It hit Amano right before me, but it went just outside the right corner of the goal. In the 37th minute of the second half, Yokohama FM replaced Watanabe with defender Katsuya.
Nagato had been sidelined for a long time due to a right hamstring strain at the end of last season. Nagato made a sharp vertical pass from the left side one minute later. Miyaichi raised a cross with his left foot, and Amano took a direct shot in the centre.
However, this also went off to the right side of the goal. In the 88th minute, Marinos made two changes again. Kato and Watanabe were dropped, and Yuhi Murakami and Riku Yamane came in. Murakami played at right-back, and Yamane formed a two-volunteer lineup with Kida.
Even after eight minutes of second-half stoppage time, the game was still undecided, and the game went into overtime. Marinos continued to attack in the 15 minutes of extra time, and although Bangkok put up a solid defence, the score remained 0-0 going into the second half.
15 minutes into the second half of extra time, Murakami’s cross from the right side hit midfielder Wisalut Imura. After a check by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), the hand’s position was determined to be within the penalty, and Marinos was awarded a penalty. The kicker is A. Lopes. Ace calmly scored the goal into the right corner of the goal, scoring the long-awaited first goal.
The match ended with Yokohama F.Marinos winning 1-0. Although they have not been able to break through the top 16 twice in the past, they have now advanced to the top 8 for the first time in club history.
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