Asani's Extra-Time Stunner Knocks Kobe Out Of AFC Champions League

Hong Kong: Jasir Asani's stunning 118th-minute strike propelled South Korea's Gwangju FC past Japan's Vissel Kobe 3-0 yesterday and into the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League.

Gwangju had lost 2-0 in Kobe last week but got off to the perfect start in the return leg when striker Park Jeong-in headed home from Park Tae-jun's free-kick after just 18 minutes.

The visitors held firm under a second-half onslaught from Gwangju and were just six minutes from the quarter-finals when Takuya Iwanami handled in the area.

Albanian winger Asani slotted home the resultant penalty for his first goal of the match and to take it to extra-time.

Asani's second settled the tie in dramatic style just as a penalty shootout was looking inevitable.

With less than two minutes remaining, Asani collected the ball outside the Kobe penalty area, shifted it onto his left foot and unleashed an unstoppable rocket.

It flew in off the underside of the bar to spark wild celebrations in the crowd and on the Gwangju bench as the home side completed a 3-2 aggregate win.

In the night's other last-16 second-leg tie, Kawasaki Frontale of Japan cruised through with a 4-0 win over China's Shanghai Shenhua for a 4-1 aggregate victory as the last two quarter-final berths were decided.

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