Shandong and Yokohama, two teams that were in the same group, will now meet in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League,

In a dramatic turn of events, a goal in the 97th minute of their second-leg match against Kawasaki secured a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals for the Jinan side. This marks their first advancement to this stage since the 2015-16 campaign, making them the first Chinese team to achieve this feat since Beijing FC in 2020. If they proceed further, they could become the first Chinese team to surpass this stage since Guangzhou Evergrande reached the semi-finals in 2019. Prior to facing Kawasaki, they had never encountered a Japanese opponent in the knockout stage of the tournament. Additionally, their last victory against a J1 League team at home in this competition dates back to the 2016 group stage, where they defeated Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0.



Yokohama suffered their first defeat under manager Harry Kewell against Avispa Fukuoka (1-0), despite being unbeaten in their two away fixtures since Kewell's appointment in December. In this season's Champions League, Yokohama has stayed undefeated when scoring first, winning five matches. However, their J League Cup quarter-final record has been inconsistent, losing three of their last four fixtures. They were last eliminated from a quarter-final tie in the 2022 edition, losing 5-2 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Recent trends indicate Yokohama struggles when conceding the opening goal, losing four of their last five encounters in such situations.