AFC Champions League - Matchday 4: What they said

AFC Champions League Elite
#ACLElite - MD4: What they said
Sat, 09 November, 2024

Kuala Lumpur: There was a variety of emotions as Matchday Four of the AFC Champions League Elite™ 2024/25 served up sumptuous football this past week.

Joy, tribute to teammates and frustration were all part of the script so join the-AFC.com as we take a look at what was said after the 12 matches.

“We are on the right path towards qualification, which is the most important thing for us at this stage. As I mentioned, we will keep pushing forward and working hard for the upcoming matches.”

Felix Sanchez emphasising on the importance of his side's 1-1 draw with UAE's Al Wasl, with Al Sadd SC inching closer to the knockout stage.

"Last year, we played in the AFC Cup but this is different now as we are playing against big, big teams and managers and the mentality is different so it is a real, real challenge."

Mark Jackson feels Central Coast Mariners are coping well with the challenge they are facing in the AFC Champions League Elite.

“When we scored our goal, which is the most important point of the game, we should have stopped the game so that nothing happened in the next 10 minutes, but we didn't do that."

Juan Carlos Garrido was left to lament after his Persepolis FC side dropped points yet again from a winning position with the Islamic Republic of Iran side sitting in ninth spot on two points.

“We have played four matches with four wins and I think we played the best match this season. We applied the style I wanted and the fans deserved this performance and result.”

Matthias Jaissle did not hold back on his praise after Al Ahli Saudi FC cruised 5-1 past Iraq's Al Shorta to maintain their 100 percent record.

"JDT have a philosophy. JDT are a possession (based) team, we like to play on the opponents' side of the pitch and our philosophy is not only to have the ball but also keep the ball. When we lose the ball, we try to recover it within five seconds."

Hector Bidoglio explaining just what makes Johor Darul Ta'zim tick after their impressive 3-0 win over Ulsan HD.

"When the team excels, it gives me the opportunity to score, we deserved to win and we played a beautiful match.”

Aleksandar Mitrovic credited his Al Hilal SFC teammates after netting a hat-trick in their 3-0 win over Islamic Republic of Iran's Esteghlal FC.

“It's painful for me to not be able to win after announcing my retirement. I've had a string of games where we haven't won even though we've been playing with passion, so I'm really happy about today's win."

Toru Oniki was relieved after Kawasaki Frontale ended their winless run with a 3-1 defeat of China PR's Shanghai Port FC.

"All teams still have hope in the tournament, as a point or two will make a difference in the standings in the end.”

Younes Ali believes his side still have a good chance of advancing after Al Rayyan SC ended a run of three defeats by beating Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor.

“Luckily, the plan is going as we wanted but we aren’t sure yet how many points we need to qualify for the knockout round, so we have to maintain our focus.”

Head coach Tadayuki Yoshida has called for full concentration after Vissel Kobe defeated Korea Republic's Gwangju Fc to move top of the East Zone standings.

“The work is not only on the physical fitness aspect, but we also work on positive energy and passion, we work on everything, and the fans are an important factor for us and for the players in order to show passion."

Stefano Pioli explaining his methods after Al Nassr Club beat UAE's Al Ain FC 3-1 to stay on course for the knockout stage.

"The players showed what they are capable of, both offensively and defensively, as we prepared."

Park Tae-ha was delighted after Pohang Steelers revived their campaign with a 4-2 defeat of China PR's Shandong Taishan.

“As I said before the match, I expected us to dominate, to have the majority of the ball and create plenty of shooting chances and we did that."

John Hutchinson was happy his Yokohama F. Marinos stuck to the game plan as the Japanese side cruised to a 5-0 win against Thailand's Buriram United.

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