AFC Champions League Elite
Han Chan-hee gave the home side the lead in the 13th minute and Kim In-sung doubled the advantage in the 20th minute before Daiju Sasaki pulled one back for the J1 League leaders from the penalty spot with 11 minutes left in the half. Jeong Jae-hee struck in injury time to seal the win.
Kobe dominated the second half but were unable to level the scores as Takayuki Yoshida’s side, who led the eastern standings going into the sixth round of matches, lost for the first time in the competition.
As a result, Kobe remain on 13 points while Pohang move onto nine points and back into the qualification places for a spot in the last 16 of the continental club championship.
Jorge Luiz had an early sight of goal for the hosts, heading wide in the eighth minute under pressure from the Kobe defence after Kim In-sung lifted his pass into the six-yard box from the right.
Within five minutes Pohang had taken the lead as Park Tae-ha’s side capitalised on a mistake by goalkeeper Powell Obinna Obi.
The former Yokohama F Marinos custodian picked up Mitsuki Hidaka’s back pass and referee Alireza Faghani awarded an indirect free kick that Paik Sung-dong rolled into the path of Han, and he smashed an unstoppable strike into the roof of the net.
Kobe almost responded immediately, Takuya Iwanami pushing his shot narrowly wide after Ryuho Kikuchi’s headed knock down found the defender with time and space to strike but by the 20th minute the J1 League leaders were further behind.
The ball was fed wide to Kim In-sung by Hong Yun-sang and the veteran winger hit a low, bouncing shot towards the far corner that gave Obi little chance.
The Japanese side halved the deficit with 11 minutes remaining in the half when Sasaki converted from the penalty spot after Rikuto Hirose had been clumsily upended by Lee Tae-seok.
And Vissel thought they had equalised moments later, only for Hirose’s close-range strike to be ruled out for offside.
Kobe pushed in the opening exchanges of the second half to pull level but efforts by Iwanami, Hotaru Yamaguchi, Nanasei Iino and Hidaka in the first five minutes were either under-hit or off target as Pohang retained the lead.
Yook Ptung-guk then kept out Yuya Kuwasaki’s well-struck attempt with 20 minutes remaining while Koya Yuruki’s last minute effort flashed across the face of goal before substitute Jeong sealed the win with an emphatic strike beyond Obi in the 91st minute.
Related News
- AFC Champions League Elite
MD6: Shanghai Port FC (CHN) 1-1 Gwangju FC (KOR)
- AFC Champions League Elite
MD6: Johor Darul Ta’zim (MAS) 0-0 Buriram United (THA)
- AFC Champions League Elite
MD6: Central Coast Mariners (AUS) 0-4 Yokohama F. Marinos (JPN)
- AFC Champions League Elite
Preview - MD6: Shanghai Shenhua FC (CHN) v Ulsan HD FC (KOR)
- AFC Champions League Elite
Preview - MD6: Kawasaki Frontale (JPN) v Shandong Taishan FC (CHN)
Item 1 of 5