Thailand will be in the spotlight on April 20 when the 2022 AFC Champions League East Asian Division group stage officially kicks off. Last year's Nippon Professional League champions Kawasaki Frontale, runners-up Yokohama Marinos, and Emperor's Cup winners Urawa Red Diamonds have all managed to lock up their places in the group stage. JLF third-place finisher Kobe Victory also qualified by beating Australian side Melbourne Victory in the play-offs. Meanwhile, Hong Kong Premier League champions Jie Zhi and Kobe Shengli are in Group J, and will play a Hong Kong-Japan matchup.
Hong Kong and Japan have a deep history in the East Asian region. Long before the AFC Champions League was restructured, the two clubs had already met many times in the Asian Champions Club Cup and the Asian Cup Winners' Cup, leaving behind a number of classic battles. Today, let's take a look back at three of these exciting matches.
1993-94 Asian Champions League Tohoku 1:0 Kawasaki Yomiuri
This first round match of the East Asian Zone Knockout Round was played at the Mongkok Stadium in Hong Kong. Orient defeated Kawasaki Yomiuri 1-0 with the advantage of their home field and the excellent play of their star players. Although Orient could only field three foreign players, Tambasi, Richen and Osha, their strength is still not to be underestimated.
In the second half, Orient striker Chiu Chun Ming helped his team take the lead with a volley from inside the penalty area. In the end, Orient won 1-0, leaving a brilliant mark for Hong Kong teams in the AFC Champions League.
2001-02 Asian Cup Champions Cup South China 3:2 Shimizu S Pulse
South China entered the tournament as Cup Champions and met Japanese team Shimizu S Pulse in the current edition. South China showed great offensive firepower in the match and eventually won the match 3-2, winning the honor for the Hong Kong team.
The Clearwater Heartbeats were able to tie the game at one point, but SCW scored two goals in the second half to seal the win. The game became a classic in SCAA history.
Asian League Champions Cup 2018 Jiezhi 1:0 Kashiwa Reysol
Kitchee met with Kashiwa Reysol in the group stage of the 2018 AFC Champions League. Despite a 1-0 win for Pasir Risorgimento in the first leg, Kitchee came back to win 1-0 in the second leg thanks to a Lobin-esque worldie from Cheng Chin-lung, earning the Hong Kong side a valuable point in the AFC Champions League.
These three matches are just the tip of the iceberg of Hong Kong and Japanese football clubs' encounters, and I believe every fan has an unforgettable memory in their heart. Despite the fact that the JLF clubs are generally stronger than the Hong Kong Premier League clubs, on cup occasions, there are often unexpected results that bring exciting moments to the fans.
Next up, let's look forward to the matchup between Team Jiezhi and Kobe Victory Boat, which will be a noteworthy match to watch. To find out more about the matchup between Kobe Victory FC and Team Jiezhi, don't forget to keep an eye on the AFC Champions League matches on April 19th and May 1st.
This week's JLF live streaming schedule:
April 9, 6:00pm Kawasaki Striker vs. Kashiwa Reysol Cable 601/661
April 10, 1:00pm FC Tokyo vs Urawa Red Diamonds Cable 602/662
April 10, 1:00 p.m. Kobe Victory vs. Osaka Sakura Cable TV 604/664
April 10, 2:00 p.m. Nagoya Whale vs. Sapporo Gonzaga Cable 601/661
This week's Sunday B live streaming schedule:
April 9, 12:00 p.m. Iwate Morioka Senzuru vs. Gunma Kusatsu Onsen Cable TV 601/661
April 9, 4:00pm FC Ryukyu vs. Okayama Green Pheasant Cable TV 601/661
*Live broadcast time to be announced by the TV station
JLF Pick of the Month (March):
