Football: Spirited 10-man Marinos edge Ulsan to reach ACL final

Yokohama F Marinos reached the Asian Champions League final for the first time after beating South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai 5-4 in a penalty shootout following a dramatic 3-3 aggregate draw on Wednesday.

Trailing 1-0 a week earlier, Marinos were reduced to 10 players in the semi-final second leg but still won 3-2 as the J-League team played in heavy rain at the International Stadium in Yokohama. A hard-fought 120-minute contest ensued – during which Ulsan had 40 shots.

Manager Harry Kewell said, “A big step forward not only for the players but also for the club to show that anything is possible.” “I’m very excited for the players but we still have to stay focused.”

Marino will now face the finals on May 11 and 25 against UAE’s Al Ain, who despite a 2-1 defeat in the second leg, beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal 5-4 on aggregate on Tuesday.

Marino attacker Asahi Unaka took advantage of a defensive mix-up between Ulsan’s defenders to score the 13th-minute opener, sparking a storming encounter in which the home side took a 3–0 lead inside 30 minutes.

The second came eight minutes later when Elber combined to play a short pass on the edge of the box to fellow winger Yann Mattheus, who picked out Anderson Lopes in the area before the forward’s swift shot found the bottom corner.

Asahi Unaka (R) of Yokohama F. Marinos scores the opener against Ulsan Hyundai of South Korea during the first half of the second leg of the Asian Champions League semi-finals at the International Stadium Yokohama on April 24, 2024. (kyodo)

Yunaka made it 3–0 after a misplaced pass by Ulsan inside their own half under high pressure from Merino, the midfielder curling a 20-metre effort well into the top right corner.

But Matthias Sels’ header from a corner in the 35th minute gave Ulsan a goal, but a big call from referee Alireza Faghani changed the course of the game. Defender Takumi Kamijima conceded a penalty and was shown a straight red for blocking the ball with his hand while sliding for a challenge inside the box.

Darijan Bojanic scored from the spot three minutes before the break to level the aggregate score at 3–3, before Lee Dong Gyeong’s strike from outside the area hit the bar as Marino found himself hanging on desperately.

Yokohama F. Marinos players celebrate after defeating South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai on penalties in the Asian Champions League semi-final at the International Stadium in Yokohama on April 24, 2024. (kyodo)

Swede Bojanic was denied a second goal just two minutes after halftime as the referee ruled out a goal for offside in the buildup, while Matthias’s 63rd-minute header for Marino was also ruled out for the same infringement in a rare attack. Was rejected for.

In the 87th minute, Kim Min Woo’s close-range shot hit the bar and Marino weathered the storm to take the game to extra time. William Pope remained in inspired form and tipped Kelvin’s shot onto the post as the match headed towards a shootout, where the keeper dived to his left to deny Ulsan’s fifth goalscorer Kim.

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