Japan has taken on 'Take Down Ronaldo.'

Kawasaki Frontale will face Al Nassr in the AFC Champions League elite semifinals, which will be held at Al Inma Bank Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on May 1 at 1:30 a.m. (Korea time).

Kawasaki advanced after defeating Qatar's Al Sadd 3-2 in the quarterfinals. Amid the elimination of East Asian football, only Kawasaki has survived. Gwangju FC suffered a crushing defeat of 0-7 against Al Hilal. Thailand's Buriram lost 0-3 to Al Ahli. Yokohama also lost significantly to Al Nassr, 1-4.

Amid the difficulties of East Asian football, Japanese media were excited. Soccer Digest noted, "Yokohama was the only East Asian team to score," sharing unfortunate news.

At least Kawasaki improved their status by defeating Qatar's Al Sadd 3-2. Kawasaki, with nine Japanese players, won with one goal each from Brazilian foreign players Marcinho and Ericson.

Now, Kawasaki will meet Al Nassr, where Cristiano Ronaldo plays, in the semifinals. If Kawasaki wins here, they will face Al Ahli, who defeated Al Hilal 3-1, in the finals.

Japanese football media Soccer Digest stated, "Kawasaki is the only East Asian team to have achieved a victory. It was an incredible win. The three Saudi teams that easily won are surrounding Kawasaki. Just by looking at the Saudi lineup, one would believe it's the UEFA Champions League. The market size of the Saudi teams is over 10 times that of Kawasaki. Nevertheless, Kawasaki is very strong. It may not be a fair competition, but there is still plenty of possibility for Kawasaki to win," expressing optimism.

Kawasaki goalkeeper Yamaguchi Rui commented on the matchup against Ronaldo, saying, "Honestly, even though it's the semifinals, I don't feel any pressure. The opponent is a strong team with many stars. Their individual capabilities are better than ours. However, that doesn't mean we will lose. This is an opportunity to make my name known not just in Japan but around the world," pledging for a shutout victory.

There was also mention of other star players like Sadio Mané. Yamaguchi said, "They're all the same caliber players, so I’m not afraid. I've faced many such shots in Japan. Not just me, all of our players will focus," he confidently remarked.

Will they truly allow a goal to Ronaldo? Yamaguchi asserted, "Everyone knows Ronaldo. But he is not the same as he was 10 years ago. There have been many changes in his style. We will not only focus on Ronaldo," promising a victory.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo responded to the statements from the Japanese goalkeeper, saying, "I'm 100% prepared," declaring that he would score.

[OSEN]