Kawasaki trainer attributes errors for Asian Champions League final defeat
JEDDAH: A Regretful Defensive Showdown
In a disappointing turn of events, Kawasaki Frontale's coach, Shigetoshi Hasebe, expressed regret over his team's performance in the Asian Champions League Elite final against Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli. The Japanese club suffered a 2-0 loss, with the title going to the Saudi Pro League side for the first time.
The match witnessed first-half goals from Galeno and Franck Kessie, but it was the defensive missteps that caught Hasebe's attention. He admitted, "For us, if we could play as we planned, we could have won. We showed that in the last two games, but tonight it didn't work so we have to do more in the future."
The expensively-assembled Al-Ahli capitalized on Kawasaki's errors, with a costly mistake in the 35th minute leading to Galeno's opener. The Brazilian exploited a defensive lapse to create a chance deep inside Kawasaki's half, culminating in a well-executed shot that found the top corner.
Seven minutes later, Al-Ahli secured their second goal as Kawasaki left back Sota Miura was off the field due to a knee injury. Firmino capitalized on the space left by Miura's absence, driving into the area to set up Kessie for the header.
Hasebe acknowledged, "I don't think they did anything special against us tonight. We made mistakes when we conceded the goals." He reflectively added, "When we conceded the second goal at that time we had 10 players on the pitch. If I think about it now, maybe I could have replaced another player in that position. That could have been my mistake."
Despite being underdogs, Kawasaki's impressive wins against Qatar's Al-Sadd and Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr raised expectations. However, Hasebe believes defensive inadequacies, which saw his backline concede twice in each of the three games they played in Jeddah, were the critical factors.
Drawing from enrichment data, Hasebe's concerns appear to stem from early pressure and set-piece vulnerabilities, midfield defensive gaps, aerial weakness, and high defensive line risks. While specific personnel errors were not explicitly mentioned, these systemic issues may need addressing for future success.
- "Hasebe, in a post-match interview, expressed regret as Al-Ahli exploited Kawasaki's inadequacies in the defense, winning the championship for the first time."
- "In the Asian Champions League Elite final, it was the defensive missteps that caught Hasebe's attention, as Al-Ahli capitalized on these errors to secure their 2-0 victory."
- "The regrettable performance of Kawasaki Frontale in Jeddah, according to their coach, was not due to anything special done by Al-Ahli, but rather Kawasaki's own mistakes, which resulted in two goals conceded."
- "In his sports-analysis of the crushing defeat, Hasebe identified early pressure, set-piece vulnerabilities, midfield defensive gaps, aerial weakness, and high defensive line risks as the systemic issues that need addressing for future success."
