The Yokohama Mariners and Bangkok United have faced off in a chess match in the AFC Champions League, with each side having their own distinctive style of play. Yokohama Mariners led Shandong Taishan to the last eight in Group G, while Bangkok United topped Group F by holding Jeonbuk Hyundai at bay. Yokohama Mariners led by two goals at one point in their first-round meeting, only to be turned back by Bangkok United before the end, and with red and yellow cards flying for both sides, the matchup became the key to the quarterfinals.
The match took place at the Yokohama International Arena and was officiated by Uzbeksan referee Ilgiz Tantashev. In the first half, both teams failed to make any progress, with the Yokohama Mariners dominating the game but shooting inefficiently, while Bangkok United missed a number of good chances. In the second half, the Yokohama Mariners continued to attack, but their shots were still off target. Bangkok United played defense to prepare for the extra time. With the game tied at 2-2 in regulation time, overtime became the stage to decide the winner.
Overtime was unusually intense, with both teams switching quickly between offense and defense, but neither side scored. It wasn't until the 120th+1st minute that Yokohama Mariners' Yufei Murakami seized the opportunity to earn his team a penalty kick, which Lopez converted to give Yokohama Mariners a 1-0 lead. After that, Bangkok United fought back with all their might, but were unable to recover from the defeat. In the end, the Yokohama Mariners eliminated their opponents by a 3-2 aggregate score and advanced to the next stage of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the match between Kofu Furin and Ulsan Hyundai was extremely intense. The match took place at the New National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, with Iranian referee Moeud Bonyadifard in charge of the match. Ulsan Hyundai started the match on the front foot, with Hyeon Kim Address taking the lead in the 11th minute, before Kofu Fung Lam fought back with all their might and eventually equalized in the 88th minute. However, Ulsan Hyundai scored again in the 90th+4th minute and finally defeated Kofu Fung Lam 2-1. With a total score of 5-1 in both rounds, Ulsan Hyundai successfully advanced to the last eight and will face Jeonbuk Hyundai in the quarterfinals for the Hyundai Derby in Korea. Jeonbuk Hyundai, on the other hand, knocked out Pohang Steelers 3-1 in the 1/8 final.
