In the night of February 21, Beijing time staged in the second round of the AFC Champions League quarter-finals, Yokohama Mariners at home with a narrow 1-0 advantage over Thailand's Bangkok United, with a score of 3-2 advantage to success in the promotion. The move means that Shandong Taishan will meet Yokohama Mariners again in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League, and for Choi Kang-hee, the opportunity for revenge is here.
Looking back at the first round match between Yokohama Marinos and Bangkok United, the two sides shook hands with a score of 2-2. The second round match was played at Yokohama Marinos' home ground, and it was widely predicted that they would make it to the next round. Although this prediction was realized in the final result, the match was a tough one. The Yokohama Mariners didn't have an easy time winning the match, with the crowd even describing their fighting form as "wild power". In the whole match, Yokohama Mariners took 37 shots on goal, but only 5 of them hit the target. It can be said that the effect of their shots was not ideal, and in the end, only a key shot by Lopez at the end of the game won the victory.
In accordance with the AFC Champions League system, Shandong Taishan will play the first and second rounds of the AFC Champions League quarter-elimination rounds on March 6 and March 13, respectively. Taishan will first meet at home and then play on the road. Shandong Taishan and Yokohama Mariners have met four times in the AFC Champions League before this. 2005 AFC Champions League group stage, Taishan defeated their opponents with two rounds of 1-0, 2-1. In this season's AFC Champions League group stage, Taishan defeated Yokohama Mariners in two rounds of matches with scores of 0-1 and 0-3, and finally Yokohama Mariners advanced to the first place in the group, while Taishan ranked second. As you can see, there is not much suspense in the matchup between these two teams.
From the technical and tactical characteristics of the two teams, the styles are very different. Yokohama Mariners have a unique advantage in ground short-pass penetration, with fast passing speed and good cooperation between players. Shandong Taishan, on the other hand, is not afraid of their opponents in terms of power confrontation and impact. Especially after eliminating Kawasaki Frontale on the road, Taishan's morale has been boosted. I believe coach Choi Kang-hee will be innovative in his tactics and lineup arrangement in order to gain an advantage in this round of matchups. As the saying goes, I hope that Taishan will continue to defend the glory of the Chinese Super League. Way to go, Shandong warriors!
