AFC Champions League Two
The 56-year-old tactician believes that his players were motivated by the support from the stands and the confirmation of a top two finish in Group G means that he can manage the squad better for their final two matches and their challenge for the J1 League title.
#ACLTwo | Group G: FC Machida Zelvia (JPN) 2-1 Shanghai Shenhua FC (CHN)
“I’m very thankful to have this many supporters coming out on a weekday,” said Kuroda. “Thanks to them we are able to move to the Round of 16.
“We played them (Shenhua) last week but we knew they were going to be a different team so we needed the players to be focused. There were many situations where we could make good use of the ball.
“The goal that we conceded was our mistake and that’s an area we still have to work on and improve. We have two games left and it’s going to be tough management wise because we have domestic games to consider as well.”
“We played them (Shenhua) last week but we knew they were going to be a different team so we needed the players to be focused. There were many situations where we could make good use of the ball.
“The goal that we conceded was our mistake and that’s an area we still have to work on and improve. We have two games left and it’s going to be tough management wise because we have domestic games to consider as well.”
Hokuto Shimoda opened the scoring for the Japanese side in the 29th minute but Shenhua equalised through Rafael Ratao just before the hour mark, however, Machida’s dominance eventually saw them settling the tie via Keiya Sento’s header in the 78th minute.
The defeat left China PR’s Shenhua in a precarious position as they now trail Cambodia’s Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC by three points, with their meeting on December 3 potentially deciding which team accompanies Machida into the Round of 16.
The defeat left China PR’s Shenhua in a precarious position as they now trail Cambodia’s Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC by three points, with their meeting on December 3 potentially deciding which team accompanies Machida into the Round of 16.
Head coach Vladan Milojevic was disappointed with the result but saw enough in the performance to suggest that his Shenhua side can bounce back in the remaining matches, starting with the away trip to Singapore’s Tampines Rovers on November 26.
“I’m of course sad for the result because I don’t feel that’s a fair result as my players played very well,” said Milojevic. “There were some mistakes but we had a good performance and good chances.
“We had many chances but we couldn’t score and that’s football. My players gave everything. We are missing a lot of key players. This is not finished, we still have two games and we will keep fighting, so we will see what will happen in December.”
“I’m of course sad for the result because I don’t feel that’s a fair result as my players played very well,” said Milojevic. “There were some mistakes but we had a good performance and good chances.
“We had many chances but we couldn’t score and that’s football. My players gave everything. We are missing a lot of key players. This is not finished, we still have two games and we will keep fighting, so we will see what will happen in December.”
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