JEDDAH, April 16 (Reuters) - Vissel Kobe advanced to the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League Elite on Thursday as the Japanese side eliminated Roberto Mancini's Al Sadd 5-4 on penalties after a dramatic 3-3 draw in Jeddah.
Claudinho's miss in the third round of spot-kicks left substitute Jean Patric to score the winning penalty for the J-League outfit, who advance to the last four for the second time in the club's history.
"It is the mentality of Japanese teams to never give up," said Kobe coach Michael Skibbe, whose side equalised through Yoshinori Muto deep into stoppage time to take the game into extra time.
"We tried to score until the last second and even in the last second we have done it."
Al Sadd had taken the lead in the sixth minute at the end of a flowing counterattack sparked by a clever backheel inside his own half by Roberto Firmino to Claudinho.
The Brazilian quickly moved the ball onto Akram Afif and his incisive pass found Rafa Mujica on the edge of the penalty area, from where the Spaniard slotted in a clinical first-time finish past Daiya Maekawa.
It took the Japanese side 18 minutes to respond, former Japan international forward Yuya Osako finding himself unmarked 12 yards from goal as he met Gotoku Sakai's cross from the right, powering a header beyond Meshaal Barsham.
Osako almost added a second when he headed against the crossbar 10 minutes from the end of an entertaining first half.
Two goals in four second-half minutes, however, swung momentum in Al Sadd's favour.
Mujica hit his side's second in the 61st minute, volleying home from 12 yards out after Firmino had redirected Claudinho's pass into the penalty area into his teammate's path with his chest.
Mujica then turned provider for Al Sadd's third, the former Las Palmas forward latching onto Afif's pass from deep to set up Firmino as he arrived unmarked into the Kobe penalty area.
Yusuke Ideguchi gave Kobe hope with 16 minutes remaining when he shot into the bottom corner from 10 yards out and, with the last touch of regulation time, Muto headed in Rikuto Hirose's cross to take the game into extra time.
Maekawa made a trio of saves to keep Kobe in the contest in extra time and move the game into a shoot-out, where Vissel's perfect penalty takers set up a last-four meeting with either champions Al Ahli or Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim.
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Christian Radnedge)
