Late Wednesday night, Kawasaki Frontale stunned Al-Nassr, featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, in the Asian Champions League semifinals, clinching a 3-2 victory to secure their place in the finals. Following their quarterfinal win over Al-Sadd, Kawasaki started strong when Tatsuya Ito scored in the 10th minute. Al-Nassr equalized with Sadio Mane’s goal in the 28th minute, which deflected off a defender, but Kawasaki regained the lead just before halftime when Yuto Ozeki scored from a rebound.
In the second half, while Al-Nassr pushed for another equalizer, Kawasaki struck again in the 76th minute through Akihiro Ienaga after a brilliant setup by substitute Eriison. Ayman Yahya scored a late goal for Al-Nassr in the 87th minute, narrowing the gap to 3-2, but it wasn’t enough. Ronaldo’s attempts to equalize were thwarted by excellent saves from goalkeeper Yamaguchi. With this win, Kawasaki Frontale made history by reaching the Asian Champions League finals for the first time.
