Asian media shocked as Hanoi FC dethroned Asian champion

Thai newspaper Siam Sport commented: "Hanoi FC made history against the giant, against the strongest team in Japan. Before Hanoi FC, Urawa had never lost to any Southeast Asian team in the AFC Champions League."

Since beating Indonesian club Persik Kediri 3-0 in 2007, Urawa have won nine more games and drawn one against Southeast Asian teams, scoring 41 and conceding six. In the first leg this season, Urawa showed their superior strength when they defeated Hanoi FC 6-0 at home. Therefore, the Japanese team's defeat to a Hanoi FC that had run out of points in the final round of Group J was a shocking result.

Alexander Scholz's 10th-minute penalty was blocked by goalkeeper Nguyen Van Hoang. In the second half, Urawa unexpectedly conceded a goal in the 53rd minute from a corner kick with a rebound from Dao Van Nam. Bryan Linssen held on to hope in the 65th minute with an equalizer, but a late mistake by Urawa's defense gave Hanoi a penalty and Pham Tuan Hai did not miss the opportunity.

"Hanoi FC ends Urawa's reign", the headline on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) homepage read. "Tuan Hai successfully converted the 11m penalty to seal a famous victory for Hanoi".

The Japanese press shared the same air of disappointment. Soccer King page The visitors dominated the game with 66.7% possession, had 21 shots with six on target compared to Hanoi's 10 shots and four on target, but were unable to find the net most of the time. "The dream of winning the AFC Champions League for two consecutive seasons is shattered," Soccer King wrote.

Urawa finished second in Group J with seven points, but failed to make it into the top three runners-up to advance to the round of 16. The remaining four East Asian groups have yet to play, but the runners-up all have higher scores than Urawa.

Tokyo Sports reported that Urawa's historic defeat to a weaker team caused a stir on social media. A series of abusive comments aimed at the club and its players reflected the frustration of fans.

After the match, goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa said this was an unacceptable result and had to reflect a lot when he could not help his team save the penalty. "I am very disappointed that we did not win despite all the efforts and support for the team," said the 37-year-old goalkeeper.

Centre-back Alexander Scholz was left heartbroken by his missed penalty early in the game, but did not see it as a cause of defeat when looking at the bigger picture. "We lost because of a corner, a penalty," he said. "I apologise to all the fans for not being able to win."