Chonbuk overturn deficit to edge Kashiwa in Asian opener
Chonbuk Motors came from behind to beat Kashiwa Reysol 2:1 in their AFC Champions League League Phase opener on Tuesday at Jeju World Cup Stadium. The hosts were ahead at the break after Kenshin Yuba's 30th-minute strike, then Tiago Orobó and Italo Vargas turned the tie around in the second half. Kashiwa had a goal disallowed by VAR in the 60th minute, Yusuke Segawa's effort ruled out after review, which kept the visitors level and changed the momentum.
Yuba opened the scoring for Kashiwa, who started brightly and camped in the final third. The visitors dominated possession at 64 per cent but found themselves blocked by Chonbuk's organisation. At half-time, Kashiwa brought on Yoshio Koizumi for Nobuteru Nakagawa, trying to find a way through. That change did not come to fruition — Orobó equalised four minutes into the second period, and the match opened up.
Chonbuk took the lead through Vargas in the 69th minute, finishing a move that caught Kashiwa on the turn. The visitors responded with urgency, but their shots lacked precision — only two on target all afternoon against four off target. Kashiwa's expected goals stood at 1.22, yet they could not convert. By then, Chonbuk had closed the game out, absorbing pressure and looking comfortable in defence.
The statistics tell a story of control without penetration. Kashiwa registered 94 attacks to Chonbuk's 77, won more aerial duels and created more key passes, but their shot accuracy was lower at 17 per cent compared to 23 per cent for the hosts. Chonbuk made 14 successful tackles to 7 for Kashiwa, and their goalkeeper made just one save — the visitors rarely tested him. The cancelled VAR goal in the 60th minute was a moment that could have shifted everything, but it did not.
Chonbuk move to sixth place with three points from one game, while Kashiwa sit in 10th with none. The hosts have already shown they can compete on the continental stage, and a win away from home in their last domestic fixture against Seoul suggests they are building something. Kashiwa will need to sharpen their finishing if they want to climb — they dominated territory but paid for a sloppy opening.
The result keeps Chonbuk in the conversation early in the campaign. They have one foot in the next round if they build on this, while Kashiwa must find a way to turn possession into chances. The deeper squad and the home advantage gave Chonbuk the edge when it mattered, and that is how these games are decided.
