Jeonbuk Wins AFC Champions League Opener, Defeating Kashiwa 2:1

K League 1 club Jeonbuk Hyundai kicked off their 2026-2027 AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) campaign with a victory against Japan's Kashiwa Reysol.

Jeonbuk secured a 2-1 comeback win in their first ACLE league stage home match against Kashiwa Reysol held at Jeonju World Cup Stadium today (16th), powered by Italo's winning goal in the 24th minute of the second half with the score tied 1-1.

Jeonbuk, the K League 1 champions from last year, traded tight blows with Kashiwa, the runners-up of the J1 League last season, from the early stages of the first half.

Jeonbuk came to regret an early chance in the 2nd minute of the first half when Lee Dong-jun received a long kick from goalkeeper Song Bum-keun, surged down the right side of the penalty area, and sent in a cross that was blocked by a defender.

Kashiwa also sought to target Jeonbuk's rear utilizing precise passing work, but struggled to break through the defensive wall.

In the 25th minute of the first half, Jeonbuk's Lee Seung-woo drove into the left side of the penalty area, his shot hitting a defender's body, followed by a header attempt from Tiago that went straight to the goalkeeper. Tiago then intercepted a backpass from a Kashiwa defender in the 29th minute of the first half, firing a right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty arc that missed the right post of Kashiwa, failing to find the target.

The tight scoreless deadlock was broken by Kashiwa in the 30th minute of the first half.

Kashiwa goalkeeper's goal kick connected with Yuba Kenshin, who made an exquisite dribble from midfield to the penalty arc before shaking Jeonbuk's net with a left-footed shot.

Finishing the first half without a score, Jeonbuk leveled the match just 3 minutes into the second half.

After Lee Seung-woo penetrated the right side of the penalty area, missed his shooting opportunity, and laid the ball off, right-back Kim Tae-hwan immediately sent in a cross, which Tiago headed home from the left side of the goal area.

Jeonbuk missed a crucial chance to extend their lead in the 10th minute of the second half when Lee Young-jae's left-footed shot from the right side of the penalty arc hit Kashiwa's right goalpost and went wide.

A crisis also struck.

Jeonbuk breathed a sigh of relief in the 15th minute of the second half when Kashiwa's Segawa Yusuke appeared to score an additional goal with a right-footed shot from the right side of the goal area, but the goal was canceled following a video assistant referee (VAR) review that ruled it offside.

Finally, Jeonbuk found the go-ahead winning goal in the 24th minute of the second half, with Italo as the protagonist.

Having stepped onto the pitch as a substitute for Lee Dong-jun in the 20th minute of the second half, Italo received a pass from Lee Young-jae 4 minutes later, sprinted quickly from the left side of the opponent's midfield, and pierced the Kashiwa goal with a right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area.

Having turned the game around, Jeonbuk warded off Kashiwa's late offensive and protected their one-goal victory.

Meanwhile, this season's K League 1 leaders FC서울 suffered a defeat in their opening AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) fixture.

Seoul lost 0-1 in their 2026-2027 ACL2 Group E match against Persib Bandung (Indonesia) held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the same day.

Seoul conceded the decisive goal just 5 minutes into the first half from a corner kick situation.

Bandung took the lead when central defender Julio César, who joined the attack, redirected a right-footed shot from the right side of the goal area following a right corner kick delivered by 'captain' Marc Klok.

Launching a counterattack, Seoul faced heartbreak in the 37th minute of the first half when Jung Hyun-woo's header went over the goalkeeper's reach, only for a Bandung defender guarding the goal line to clear it away with his head.

Ending the first half down 0-1, Seoul mounted a one-sided offensive in the second half but ultimately failed to find an equalizer, sinking to defeat.

(Photo: Provided by Korea Professional Football League, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.