On the evening of April 24th, Yokohama Marinos hosted Ulsan HD in the AFC Champions League semi-final. 120 minutes of hard fighting between the two teams resulted in a 3-3 draw, and in the final penalty shootout, Yokohama Marinos won 5-4, eliminating Ulsan HD with a total score of 8-7, and advancing to the final for the first time in the history of the team, where they will fight with Al Ain to compete for the final title.
The Yokohama Mariners equalized in the 13th minute when Asahi Uekichu capitalized on a mistake by the Ulsan backline and scored with a low shot. 8 minutes later, the Yokohama Mariners scored again with an assist from Jan Mateus, and Lopez scored with a swinging leg shot to put the Yokohama Mariners up 2-1. In the 30th minute, Nam Tae-hee scored twice with an assist from Asahi Uekichu, giving the Yokohama Mariners a 3-1 lead. However, the situation on the field changed suddenly after that, and Ulsan's corner kick was headed in by Salles to equalize the score and bring the total score to 2-3.
In the 39th minute, Yokohama's Tosi Ueshima was penalized by the referee for a handball foul in the penalty area and was sent off with a red card. With one less player, Yokohama Mariners had to face a difficult situation of 10 to 11. However, Ulsan's foreigner Bojanic seized the opportunity and took the penalty kick to equalize the score at 3-3.
The match resumed with a goal blown out for each side. In the crucial extra time, Yokohama Mariners withstood the pressure and sent the game into a penalty shootout. In the end, Yokohama Mariners defeated Ulsan HD 5-4 in the penalty shootout, advancing to the AFC Champions League final with their heads held high. It is worth mentioning that Asahi Uekichu had a great performance in this match, and his two goals laid an important foundation for his team's victory.
