AFC Champions League Two - Sanfrecce 6-1 Lion City - Sanfrecce Sink the Sailors

AN AFC Champions League DEMOLITION for the Lion City Sailors as Hiroshima steamrolled the away side in their first leg. The team featured several players to keep an eye on, as they proved to be one of the top Japanese sides in modern football.

A sublime advert for the standard of Japanese football.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation with a few changes from their last J-League outing. The front three remained the same, but Nakajima and Suga took Inoue and Kwabe's spots. The wing-backs were overhauled with Tanaka and Nakano replacing Shunki and Arai. The back three remained the same.

The 3-4-2-1 deployed by Hiroshima looked like it was going to be reliant on passing networks created through triangles, especially amongst the midfielders and defenders. The trio of Nakano, Nakajima and Nakamura was always going to be an interesting spectacle.

Lion City Sailors set up in a 5-4-1 low block in their visit to Japan. It was always going to look like a tough task to break down, with a very experienced backline with each defender being over the age of 30.

However their on-loan left-back, portuguese Diogo Costa, was 21 and was most likely one to watch for the visitors.

Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne could have been a familiar name for fans as he had plied his trade with several European clubs before his move to Asia. Bart Ramselaar another name that some may recall.

Prior to kick off, the two clubs had never met in any form of competition before.

Kick off saw Hiroshima's striker Germain relentlessly pressing but to no avail. Lion City seemed in control at first, but it quickly went up in arms as Sanfrecce buzz off the fans' electric support.

Bart Ramselaar seemed like an expert at breaking up the play, challenging the triple threats Sanfrecce seemed to raise on his side of the pitch.

Despite control from Hiroshima the balls into the box did not work at first with Lion City clearly inviting them only to be dealt with by their experienced backline.

Sanfrecee knew Lion City were going to come out narrow, thus playing wide, with their back three advancing forward allowing their attackers to push up. Thanks to this in the 7th minute, they came close from a long-shot from Shiotani, but Mahbud's good reactions means it stays 0-0.

Satoshi Tanaka's expertual space exploitation meant he finds a pocket space just in front of the experienced defence, hitting a controlled long-range drive right past Mahbud for the opening goal.

The tone is set and Sanfrecce push for another - albeit to no avail. But the body language of the players was proof they were on course.

Another chance goes begging as Wright stumbled in the box providing three chances for the Japanese to score, but Mahbud's amazing reactions kept it at 1-0.

Hiroshima realised that getting desperate was not the way forth - thus beginning to recycle the ball more in a logical sense, attempting to lay siege to Lion City.

62% possession was proof Hiroshima were dictating the show in the 20th minute. The Japanese had completed 133 accurate passes to Lion City's mere 71.

A Ramselaar shot was blocked after a good opportunity arose - the Sailors were on the wrong end of the stick and were beginning to notice it.

An expertual delivery in from a corner was delivered straight onto the head of Nakajima who had his header cleared off the line. Sanfrecce were dominant and seemed dangerous every chance they got.

However, Lion City began to find their groove in their own half, only to succumb to Hiroshima's tenacity.

Shuto Nakano was very unlucky not to bury a first time shot after a cross finds him at the other end of the box, out for a corner.

The same corner then provided a header into the crossbar by captain Sasaki, again, Hiroshima very unlucky not to have been running away with the win here.

Suga was found wide by Germain's through ball but two players are not able to reach the full-back's low driven ball.

It was corner after corner, Hiroshima all over Lion City in the 35th minute. It almost seemed like a one sided game, but it still sat at 1-0.

Lion City found the cruel nature of football helping them out at the right time. A cleared corner from the thousands of chances Hiroshima had, found Lestienne who linked up well with Ramselaar - Ramselaar ensured Anuar had a clear finesse shot placed into the bottom right past Osako.

On the back of a very cruel humbling, Hiroshima began to steady on the ball, but looked more shaky than before even trying a long ball which the attackers were not prepared for.

Nakajima and Tanaka were able to create and mount a calm attack only to be repelled by the low 5-4-1 - a darting run up by Shiotani was in vain as his first-time shot went totally wide.

Hiroshima's back three were a very attack-minded partnership. Often, Shiotani would support the attack leaving a back two and an extra full back in either Suga or Nakano.

An spectacle of a team goal is shown after a link up by Shiotani, Nakano, then to Nakumura, who put it on a beautiful podium for Germain to slot into the bottom left, and Hiroshima got their well-deserved second.

The trio of Nakano, Nakamura and Tanaka seemed devastating for Lion City as they frequently worked together to patiently progress the ball, often met with lots of time as they weren't dare pressed.

Half time - Sanfrecce Hiroshima 66% Possession, Lion City 35% Possession.

Sanfrecce looked the more dominant side at half time with a projected win for full-time if the tactics continue working. The Hiroshima players looked level-headed no matter the situation, even when Lion City constantly fouled them.

Hiroshima by now knew the double European entitiy on the wings for Lion City were clearly the danger men -- Shuto Nakano and the subbed-on Shunki Higashi had a massive job to do.

The forward thinking from Hiroshima was rewarded straight after half time after Shunki Higashi's first action of the game after being subbed on was a cutting edge ball in for Germain, who slot it past the goalkeeper with ease for his second goal of the game.

Hiroshima's quality full-backs were on show this game as both players were having a very good game. The front three are able to thrive thanks to the wing-play and the patience of the two young midfielders in the middle, wise beyond their years.

Higashi's amazing ability to deliver a ball into the box was causing chaos for Lion City who did not think the game could get any worse. The left wing back had an instant impact on the game.

Again, it was all Hiroshima at the 60th minute. Starving Lion City of any possession, it was now 67% possession to the hosts.

While a poor number in the form of 18 shots but only 7 on target for Hiroshima, Germain looked like their main outlet for a goal, closely marked by the experienced away defence.

Shuto Nakano's good work to coerce the ball into the box was met with disappointment as Nakamura was unable to hit the ball well, going low and wide in the 65th minute.

However Shuto was later rewarded after an expertual cut-back of the ball lays off Hayao Kawabe who drives the ball into the bottom left, from range within the box, first time.

Ex-Monaco striker Valere Germain was introduced into the game by Hiroshima in the 70th minute.

Not long later, a hopeful ball by Nakamura was unfortunately met with a bad finish by Ryo Germain, who was longing for a hattrick.

The game was totally killed when an expertual play by Nakamura and Shuto combined into a dangerous cross into the box for Valere Germain, who ensures it hit the net - 5-1 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Seconds later, pressure by Shuto gave Nakamura an easy finish to add a sixth for Hiroshima - the Sailors crumbled, with still fifteen minutes of the game to go.

Bart Ramselaar was one of the only Sailors to offer a drive upon a chance given by a sloppy Hiroshima corner, but the away side's over reliance on counters meant they barely even got a shot on goal.

The game was in bed by the 80th minute, with Sanfrecce playing it cool and continuing to warp the possession in their favour, Lion City making futile changes in the midst of the demolition.

Some amazing inter-positional switching play by Hiroshima in the final minutes killed off any will from the Sailors to fight back, visibly distraught, allowing the Japanese to advance into the second half with a huge margin in their favor.