The AFC Champions League Elite made its return this week, with the competition’s newly expanded format put through its first examination.
Despite much of the build-up centring on concerns over Saudi Arabia’s increasing dominance, the opening fixtures provided several unexpected results, reminiscent of the tournament’s equally eventful opening round twelve months ago.
Some of the winners after week one included the Japanese trio of Kashima Antlers, Vissel Kobe and Gamba Osaka, who laid down the J1 marker, despite fielding weaker sides in the East, while Esteghlal and Al Ain upset predictions in the West.
There was plenty of intrigue and entertainment elsewhere; a first win in the Champions League for Uzbek champions Neftchi, Shanghai Port’s victorious 6-4 goal fest in a rain soaked Ratchaburi, and a truly thrilling Southeast Asian derby between JDT and Buriram United.
While the competition’s build-up focused on its negatives, the football on the pitch further underlined the potential Champions League, and Asian football in a wider context, has to entertain the masses.
With just one week of action completed, however, there is little value in making definitive judgements about the season ahead. Nonetheless, the opening fixtures have given us some early insights and trends to reflect upon.
The Player
Gamba Osaka’s rampant opening week victory over Vietnamese champions Cong An Ha Noi was one of the more eye-catching displays; noteworthy for the combination play of the club’s past and present attacking forces.
While an immediate takeaway may have focused on Ryoya Yamashita’s hat-trick of assists, it was the man on the end of two of them who provided perhaps the more significant storyline, at least for anyone seeking a sense of nostalgia.
A brace from club legend Takashi Usami did just that, firing Gamba into the lead from distance in the first period, before finishing off a swift breakaway for Gamba’s third after the hour mark. Two moments of quality, turning back the clock on what continues to be a consistent and impactful career.
His and Gamba’s display in the Champions League underlined perhaps what they have been missing in the early weeks of the new J1 campaign. Arriving in their return to Asia’s elite competition, after five years away, Gamba were six league matches without a win; limping under a new coach’s approach, and struggling to find their right squad selection.
A 4-1 home victory to open the Champions League, a tournament with a special place in their hearts after winning it in 2008, was a perfect tonic for the club.
For Usami, who has become more of a fringe figure since the summer break, offered a reminder of what Gamba have been missing in attacking areas. The 34-year-old’s link up with Yamashita in particular, who twice found the former Bayern Munich striker to score, either side of teeing up the head of Yusei Toshida, was remarkably convincing. A casual watcher may have started questioning Gamba’s recent struggles.
The continental stage has always been Gamba’s defining platform, a setting for the club to raise its game. It’s not just in a historic sense either, having clinched the AFC Champions League Two title in May.
With Jens Wissing heading to ACL Elite champions Al-Ahli in the summer, the rebuild under Hiroshi Myojin is taking time to ignite, however, heading into their Champions League opener under fire on the back of two 2-0 defeats to JEF United and FC Tokyo. While their continental form might shield the coach from more criticism, the prospect of facing this year’s mini-season final two in the next two games doesn’t aid things initially.
One game does not guarantee a change in momentum, but after a difficult domestic start, Gamba finally have something to build upon, and it was conjured by a predictable source. Squeezing out those precious moments from Usami may prove critical in supporting both their Champions League, and ultimately Myojin’s managerial prospects.
The Team
There were plenty of eye-catching and entertaining matches across the opening matchday, but few carried the same surprise factor as that of Esteghlal’s 3-0 victory over Al Sadd.
Esteghlal’s performance, of course, is only the latest example of Iranian clubs upsetting the form book. While Tractor Sazi made the headlines last year, with their unlikely run to the knockout stages, it seems to now be the turn for the Blue side of Tehran to seek the limelight.
Heading into the campaign, expectations were being downplayed, however. Having missed out on domestic football for six months, and hindered by disruptions recently due to Iran’s ongoing conflict with the United States, Esteghlal’s weak transfer window dealings didn’t help either.
One of the more defining moves of the window though, was the retention of Albanian midfielder Jasir Asani, who was once again Esteghlal’s star men, emphatically opening the scoring pouncing on an Al Sadd defensive blunder, before creating a second on the break shortly after half time.
Both goals demonstrated Esteghlal’s positive impact on the counter, at speed, making the most of the repeated opportunities to exploit space in behind an all-too-often sloppy Al Sadd defence.
While nominally at home, the neutral environment in Basra opened the game up, oddly playing to Esteghlal’s advantage; where the Azadi might have forced a cagier opener. The rhythm of the game benefitted Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh’s squad selection; alongside Asani, the pace of Saeid Saharkhizan was a constant threat in behind, supported by the promising talents of 20-year-old pair Amirmohammad Razzaghinia, and Esmaeil Gholizadeh, who added a third in the final minutes from the bench.
It’s ironic then, that a backdrop of domestic instability, the forced hand of a neutral home and a forced reliance on Iranian youth, may alter Esteghlal’s prospects AFC competition this season. Having also been kept separated from the five Saudi heavyweights in the league phase, arguably their biggest test of the campaign is already out of their way.
Big things may lie be ahead.
The Talking Point
The key discussion heading into the competition, surrounded the growing influence of Saudi teams in the Champions League. Off the back of Al Ahli’s title retention, expansion in representation, and another secured finals series hosting, few were considering an early slip up, but as it materialised, nothing was ever guaranteed.
Jeddah rivals Al Ittihad and reigning champions Al Ahli had to rely on late equalisers in their opening ties against Al Shamal and Pakhtakor, Al-Qadsiah had to lean on their bench to pull round a knotty tie with Al Wasl, while even Al-Hilal had to navigate a difficult, ill-tempered affair against Al Gharafa.
None looked totally confident, a potential hangover of the recent heavy schedules that have asked each club to balance up to five matches in 15 days before an extended international break. Crucially however, all remain unbeaten for now; all but one of course.
Al Nassr’s devastating 4-0 defeat in the Emirates to 2024 champions Al Ain, was the big statement of the opening week; but not an isolated struggle in Ange Postecoglou’s early tenure in Riyadh.
The match, spurred on in equal respects, by the clinical Rahimi brothers in attack for the hosts, and some calamitous defending from the visitors – no more so than Saad Al-Nasser’s lazy back pass that teed up Al Ain’s opener – was one-way traffic from the first whistle. It wasn’t just defensively that they had concerns either, looking slow, lethargic and out of ideas on the ball; it was not exactly the type of Ange Ball we’re all grown used to.
Concerns were raised early that the fit was never going to be ideal; a coach known for developing teams, built on work ethic and a unified philosophy, attempting to do so with a team broadly assembled around individual stars, capable of moments of genius but perhaps less so in collective momentum, was always going to be difficult.
Then there’s the spectre of Cristiano Ronaldo. Inspirational in Al Nassr’s title tilt last season, and in lock step with former coach Jorge Jesus, this year he has started slowly under Postecoglou, and form won’t be easy to come by, as ageing legs start to hamper his goalscoring potency.
Those around him are also struggling; Joao Felix’s usual creativity hasn’t yet clicked, Sadio Mane’s pace has waned, in many cases the most positive performers have been the home players, demonstrated by another lively performance from Ronaldo’s regular understudy Abdullah Al-Hamdan.
The concern for Al-Nassr then, isn’t the long-term challenge of the AFC Champions League, but the medium-term improvements made in the squad. Ahead of an extended international break, Postecoglou will be happy to buy some breathing space and time for evaluation.
With winter drawing closer, lower temperatures and optimised fitness is expected, time may become his ally – if short-term expectations don’t catch him out first.
