Vissel Kobe salvages late draw to stay atop Asian Champions League group

Japanese club Vissel Kobe remained atop the eastern zone of the AFC Champions League with a 2-2 draw at home against Chengdu Rongcheng of China on Tuesday.

Kobe needs just a point from its final two games to advance to the round of 16, with the top eight of each 12-team group advancing.

Yoshinori Muto opened the scoring in the 18th minute, but two goals from Felipe Silva put the Chinese club in front. Daiju Sasaki converted a stoppage-time penalty to salvage a draw in the final game under coach Takayuki Yoshida, who is stepping down at the end of the year after leading Kobe to the 2023 and 2024 J.League titles.

“It was a match we had to win and I’m disappointed because I wanted to send coach Taka off with a victory in his final match,” Muto said. “We know how difficult it is to bring such a team together and it is the coach who made it possible for us to win the double crown.”

Fellow Japanese club Machida Zelvia moved into second in its first continental campaign with a 3-1 win over two-time champion Ulsan HD of South Korea.