AFC Champions League - Rodriguez’s half-time adjustments pay off for Kashiwa

Kashiwa: Head coach Ricardo Rodriguez was pleased with how Kashiwa Reysol turned first-half control into goals after the break as the Japanese side defeated Daejeon Hana Citizen FC 2-0 in the AFC Champions League Elite 2026/27™ on Tuesday.

The win, Kashiwa’s second of the campaign, took them to seven points at the halfway stage of the League Stage, while Korea Republic’s Daejeon remained on four.

#ACLElite | Kashiwa Reysol (JPN) 2-0 Daejeon Hana Citizen FC (KOR)

“I thought it was a very complete performance,” said Rodriguez. “We controlled the first half and created several chances, even though their man-to-man marking in certain areas made it difficult for us to keep our moves going.

“We made a few adjustments at half-time and came out strongly, scoring twice early in the second half. We stayed in control for much of the game after that."

“They changed their shape and brought on fresh legs towards the end, so we had to defend a little more in the closing minutes. I thought we managed that well. It was a good win, and keeping a clean sheet is important in this competition.

Daejeon head coach Hwang Sun-hong felt his side could have defended better.

“It was a very difficult match and a disappointing result. Kim Min-jae had to come off injured, and I felt we could have defended better after that,” said Hwang.

“As we expected, they (Kashiwa) were very good at finding gaps and attacking the half-spaces. We tried to contain them by matching up man-for-man, but we still conceded and lost the game.

“We need to recover quickly and get ready for the next match.”

Rodriguez’s half-time adjustments pay off for Kashiwa

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