The J.League Kawasaki Frontre defeated the star-studded Saudi Arabian club 3-2 in Jeddah to participate in the Champions League final.
Tatsuya Ito, in front of Kawasaki, compared to taking part in the “video game” alongside Cristiano Ronaldo before the Asian Champion No League Elite semi-finals.
Ito sent Kawasaki to Saturday’s final against Alari, shrugging the sense of being a star track to open up the score in an epic way in the 10th minute at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
“Al Nassle had Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Manet, those big names, and it was difficult to play against them in that game,” Ito said.
“They attacked a lot, but I was happy to be on the pitch with them tonight.
“There were a few big names playing here. They were next to me before I went to the pitch. It felt like a video game.”
Kawasaki was unclear before the match needed extra time to beat Qatar’s Al Sad to advance to the semi-finals on Sunday, but Ito hit a full attack on his first volley from the edge of the penalty area.
The mane was equalized with a biased effort just before the 30-minute mark just to get deeper involved with Ito again.
The pace of the former Hamburg forward gained Al Nassl’s defense, and goalkeeper Bent saved Ito’s attempts to score, but Yute Ozeki managed to get a rebound to recover his team’s lead.
Deputy Ienaga had a third of Kawasaki’s time, and the frontre had to set the grandstand finish where Eiman Yahiya attacked from range with three minutes remaining, Kawasaki won.
“This is very important not only for the club, but also for the Japanese soccer and the J.League,” Ito said of the victory. “This is a great opportunity to showcase the level of the J-League. We are Japan’s representatives.
“Before today’s match, the manager said he was here to make history for us. Now we’re doing that. Hopefully we can win the title in the next game and bring the trophy back to Japan.”
Ronaldo took him to social media and was disappointed by his fans of defeat and comfort over his dream of “having to wait.”
Sometimes dreams have to wait. I’m proud of this team and everything we’ve given on the pitch. 🟡🔵
Thank you to all the fans who trusted us and stood by us at every stage. Your support means the world. pic.twitter.com/slp6k4ihrh
– Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) April 30, 2025
