Western Sydney have defied all expectations to open their Asian Champions League defence with a 3-1 victory over Japanese giants Kashima Antlers.
The Wanderers entered this match against the J-League’s most successful club apparently a shadow of the side that conquered Asia to create Australian sporting history just three months ago.
With their A-League season in tatters having triumphed just once in their last 16 outings to sit last on the ladder, Tony Popovic’s men showed amazing character to put their domestic malaise behind them at Kashima Stadium on Wednesday to post their first victory in Japan.
The Wanderers took the lead courtesy of an own goal by Gen Shoji before Shoma Doi levelled.
Yojiro Takahagi and Mark Bridge, who was involved in all three Wanderers’ goals, rounded out the scoring to give the title holders the perfect start to their defence.
The Wanderers fielded a vastly changed side to that which played in their 2-1 loss to Adelaide on the weekend.
Player of the ACL tournament last season, goalkeeper Ante Covic, was left behind along with the likes Iacopo La Rocca, Brendan Hamill and Romeo Castelen.
Assistant coach Ian Crook took the helm with Popovic watching from the stands as he serves his two-game suspension for his role in the on-field altercation during the explosive quarter-final against Guangzhou Evergrande last year.
The Wanderers may be the defending champions but it was Kashima who dominated the early stages.
With less than five minutes on the clock Doi threatened with a powerful shot but sent it wide.
Wanderers gloveman Dean Bouzianis, in just his second appearance for the club, was forced into a goal-line clearance just moments later after a point-plank shot from Shoji.
Western Sydney began to work their way into the match with striker Tomi Juric proving their only major threat in the opening half, breaking through the Kashima backline to attempt two shots.
Juric continued to trouble the Kashima defence right after the break, the striker again managing to shake his marker to send a ball across the face of goal which the hosts just managed to clear.
But it was Kashima who would gift the Wanderers a goal in the 54th minute.
Bridge struck a goal-bound volley, forcing an error from Kashima defender Shoji who put it in the back of his own net to give the Wanderers a 1-0 lead.
But just when the Wanderers appeared to have the momentum Kashima struck.
Brazilian Caoi provided the perfect cross with Doi’s pin-point volley levelling in the 68th minute.
The Wanderers would have the final word with Bridge and Takahagi combining beautifully to regain the lead.
Takahagi played the ball across to Bridge who sent it goal-bound for The Wanderers’ Japanese import to tap it home in the 86th minute.
Bridge put the icing on the cake in extra time curling the ball into the back of the net for the 3-1 result.
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