As night falls, the second round of the AFC Champions League quarterfinals resumed on February 21st, Beijing time, and Yokohama Mariners narrowly beat Bangkok United (Thailand) by a 1-0 margin to advance to the quarterfinals with a total score of 3-2, thanks to their home ground advantage. This victory makes Shandong Taishan once again the opponent of Yokohama Mariners, and the revenge battle of coach Choi Kang-hee will be staged soon.
Looking back at their first round match, Yokohama Mariners and Bangkok United played to a 2-2 draw. However, Yokohama Mariners showed great explosive power in the second round of the home matchup. Although the victory belonged to them in terms of the result, the match was full of twists and turns. The Yokohama Mariners took 37 shots on goal, but only 5 were on target, which is a "lot of thunder, a lot of rain". In the end, it was Lopez's precise shot at the end of the game that gave them the victory.
According to the AFC Champions League schedule, Shandong Taishan will welcome back-to-back clashes with Yokohama Mariners on March 6 and March 13, first at home and then away. The two teams have met four times before in the AFC Champions League, with Shandong Taishan defeating their opponents in the 2005 AFC Champions League group stage with scores of 1-0 and 2-1 over two rounds, while this season's group stage saw Shandong Taishan lose 0-1 and 0-3, with Yokohama Mariners ultimately advancing to the top of the group, and Shandong Taishan coming in at second place.
The technical and tactical styles of the two teams are very different. Yokohama Mariners specialize in short ground penetration, quick passing, and good cooperation between players; while Shandong Taishan is not afraid of power confrontation and impact. Especially after eliminating Kawasaki Frontale on the road, Taishan's morale is high. In the face of the upcoming revenge battle, Coach Choi Kang-hee obviously needs a new tactical arrangement and team deployment. As the saying goes, let's hope that the Taishan team can continue to defend the glory of the Chinese Super League. Way to go, Shandong warriors!
