Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/soccer/article/1954517/late-hao-junmin-rocket-breaks-sydneys-hearts-shandong-luneng-advance
Sport/ Football

Late Hao Junmin rocket breaks Sydney’s hearts as Shandong Luneng advance to AFC Champions League quarter-finals

Substitute scores a last-minute winner to end Australian side’s interest in the competition after a see-saw match that saw Shangdong miss a penalty and Sydney receive a red card

Shandong Luneng’s Dai Lin (centre) celebrates with teammates after scoring against Sydney FC during their AFC Champions League match in Sydney. Photo: AP

Substitute Hao Junmin’s last-minute rocket broke Sydney FC’s hearts and put China’s Shandong Luneng into the AFC Champions League quarter-finals after a sensational last-16 second leg on Wednesday.

It took a great goal to beat us... all I can say is, these things happen in football Graham Arnold

Goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic’s late penalty save – after he also stopped a spot-kick in the first leg – seemed to have earned 10-man Sydney their first appearance in Asia’s last eight.

But with the scores at 2-1 on the night, and 3-2 on aggregate after last week’s 1-1 draw, Hao’s long-range shot swerved past Janjetovic and into the top corner, stunning the Sydney crowd.

It was enough to take Mano Menezes’s Shandong into the quarter-finals for the first time in 11 years. Despite the 3-3 aggregate score, they squeezed through on the away goals rule.

“There’s a lot of disappointments in football and there’s a lot of happy times – this is an extremely disappointing time for the players,” an emotional Sydney FC coach Graham Arnold said afterwards.

“It took a great goal to beat us... all I can say is, these things happen in football,” he added.

Shandong Luneng’s Wang Tong is airborne as he clears the ball. Photo: AFP
Shandong Luneng’s Wang Tong is airborne as he clears the ball. Photo: AFP

Sydney got off to a dream start when with less than two minutes gone, midfielder Brandon O’Neill’s low free kick somehow ended up in the net for what was his first goal for his club.

But Shandong didn’t take long to respond when striker Diego Tardelli picked out Walter Montillo in the box and the Argentine midfielder swept home the equaliser on 12 minutes.

The legs of Sydney goalkeeper Janjetovic denied Tardelli when the Brazilian went through one-on-one, before tempers frayed at the end of the first half.

After Matt Simon became embroiled in a shoving match with Shandong players, O’Neill charged across and knocked defender Dai Lin flying. Both Sydney players were booked.

Sydney made a sensational start to the second period when, with less than a minute gone, Rhyan Grant blasted them 2-1 ahead from the right side of the box after being teed up by Milos Ninkovic.

Sydney FC goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic saves Diego Tardelli’s penalty. Photo: AFP
Sydney FC goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic saves Diego Tardelli’s penalty. Photo: AFP

The hosts had their hearts in their mouths when Zac Anderson manhandled Yang Xu in the box and was shown a straight red, with Tardelli stepping up for the crucial spot-kick on 77 minutes.

But the normally reliable Brazilian saw his half-hearted effort saved by Janjetovic and he then miscued the rebound onto the bar, sparking relieved celebrations among the Sydney players.

However, their joy proved premature when in the final minute Hao received a lay-off from Montillo. He let fly with a sizzling shot which was beyond the reach of even the agile Janjetovic.

In South Korea, FC Seoul came back from the brink to win a dramatic penalty shoot-out on Wednesday.

In a breathless night of action, Go Yo-han struck in the dying seconds of extra time against Urawa Red Diamonds – the fourth goal of the extra periods – to force the shoot-out, which Seoul won 7-6.

Urawa’s Yoshiaki Komai was the fall guy when his stuttering run-up and shot was easily saved by Yu Sang-hun, before Seoul’s Kim Dong-woo stroked the decisive spot kick.

The 2013 runners-up were seconds from elimination after Tadanari Lee scored twice in three minutes deep into extra time, before Go’s fierce shot in the 122nd minute for 3-2 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate.