Sekizuka delighted with away draw

AFCCL - Kawasaki Frontale coach Takashi Sekizuka feels that his team have the upper hand going into the second leg of the AFC Champions League quarter final with Iranian side Sepahan next week.

Backed by a small but vocal band of away fans, Frontale emerged as the better team in a largely scrappy goalless draw at Foolad Shahr Stadium in Esfahan on Wednesday.

The Japanese side will now fancy their chances of an appearance in the semi-finals of the competition when they host the reigning Iranian Hazfi Cup holders in the return match at Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium next week.

“We must repeat this performance in the next match,” said Sekizuka in a brief press conference after the match.

“We had lots of chances in the match and we saw that we are good enough to win.

“But in the second leg, we must learn to convert our chances.”

Sepahan went into the match as favourites following their flying start to the Iran Pro League season which has seen them win four out of five matches.

But the Japanese side belied their poor recent form of one win in six J.League matches, creating the majority of clear-cut chances.

The match was preceded by a row about the size of the pitch at the Foolad Shahr stadium with Kawasaki unsuccessfully appealing for the width to be narrowed from 75 metres to 68.

But when asked about the issue on Wednesday, Sekizuka diplomatically responded that it was no different to any other.