Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds are through to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League final after defeating South Korea's Seongnam Chunma 5-3 in a penalty shootout at Saitama Stadium.![Urawa's Brazilian striker Washington, front, had a good eye for goal against Seongnam [AFP]](http://mwcnews.net/images/stories/Global2/1/2/3/4/Urawa.jpg "Urawa's Brazilian striker Washington, front, had a good eye for goal against Seongnam [AFP]")
Urawa's Brazilian striker Washington, front, had a good eye for goal against Seongnam [AFP]
Ryota Tsuzuki, Urawa goalkeeper, was the hero as he saved Choi Sung-Kuk's penalty, while his teammates netted all five of their spot kicks after the semi-final second leg match finished 2-2 after extra time.
The aggregate score therefore also finished tied at 4-4 after the first leg in Korea ended 2-2.
"I'm really happy about the victory," said Tsuzuki after Urawa became the first Japanese side to reach the final of the Asian Champions League.
Urawa, the current J-League champions, will now take on either Al Wahda of the United Arab Emirates or Iran's Sepahan, who go into the second-leg in Abu Dhabi leading 3-1 after the home leg.
"It was a speedy and dramatic game. Both teams played their 100 per cent and I'm really happy that we were the winners," said Holger Osieck, Urawa's German coach.
Holger Osieck,
Urawa Reads coach.
"Either side could have won the match."
Urawa striker Washington opened the scoring in the 21st minute when he received a long cross from fellow Brazilian Ponte, controlled the ball with his thigh, and then sent a cracking shot across Seongnam goalkeeper Kim Young-Dae.
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The superb goal by Washington, who was playing with a face mask to guard a broken nose from last Saturday, was enough for the home side to take a 1-0 lead into the break.
However Seongnam equalised after a powerful shot by Brazilian Itamar was parried into the path of Choi Sung-Kuk who easily side-footed his shot into the back of the net in the 56th minute.
Choi then silenced the usually raucous Urawa crowd by netting a second for the visitors in the 69th minute.
But Urawa would not be denied, and soon afterwards midfielder Makoto Hasebe struck home an equaliser from a Yuki Abe cross before a scoreless extra time.
The final of the AFC Champions League will be played across two legs on November 7 and 14, with the winner earning a place in the Fifa Club World Cup in Japan in December.
Tags: Asian Football