Yokohama F. Marinos edge Shandong in ACL thriller

Shandong Taishan lost to Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos 2-1 in their AFC Asian Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.

Anderson Lopes (R) of Yokohama F. Marinos vies with Zheng Zheng of Shandong Taishan during the quarterfinal first leg match between Shandong Taishan of China and Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan at the 2023-2024 AFC Champions League in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, March 6, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhu Zheng)

Yokohama and Shandong played twice in the group stage, with the Japanese side winning both games.

Yokohama's Anderson Lopes scored in the 7th minute. The Brazilian made space for himself before rifling a shot into the back of the net.

Shandong came out with all guns blazing in the second half. But Yokohama scored the second goal in the 69th minute. Matheus hit a shot from outside the zone, and the ball rolled past Shandong goalkeeper Wang Dalei into the net.

Chen Pu grabbed a crucial goal for Shandong in the injury time, keeping Shandong's hopes alive heading into next week's leg in Yokohama.