Asani, who led Gwangju FC to victory with multiple goals, said he is greedy to be the top scorer, but helping the team is a priority.
Gwangju FC defeated Johor Darlle Thaksim 3-1 in the third round of the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite League Stage in the 2024-2025 season held at Mir Stadium in Yongin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Gwangju has maintained its lead by winning three consecutive games.
Asani, who started as Gwangju’s right-side striker on the day, performed well. Asani’s toes shone from early on. In the third minute of the first half, Asani’s shot with a defender in front of him shook Johor’s net.
Asani again penetrated the Johor goal. In the 6th minute of the first half, Asani took the ball from the opponent’s defender near the half line and ran alone. He succeeded in additional goals with a calm finish in a 1-1 situation with the goalkeeper. Gwangju then allowed one goal, but in the second half, a Johor own goal came out and won 3-1.
After the game, Asani said, “I always think every game is important, not just ACLE. We want to show good quality that we have. What the coach said is that we have to enjoy it. Not only me but other players also tried to focus and show it, so I got a good result.”
“The next ACLE match will be an away match. We should concentrate and prepare as we did in the same way. Team Korea will take two days off from now on, so I think they will rest while smiling,” he added.
Asani scored his fifth and sixth goals in ACLE this season against Johor. Asani is the leading scorer in the competition. “All team members will be the same. I’m glad whether I score a goal or not. I think the results are always good because we prepare as a team.”
Asked if he has any greed to become the top scorer, he said, “I have greed, but the priority is to help my team. If any method is helpful to my team, I will be satisfied with it. I try to enjoy every game. I am satisfied with how we have shown our skills.” 토토사이트
The game was originally scheduled to be held at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium, but the conditions of the stadium, such as facilities and grass conditions, were not good. AFC sent an official letter to improve the condition of the stadium, and Gwangju visited other stadiums in Jeolla Province, but there was no clear way. Eventually, Gwangju decided to host Yongin Mir Stadium, which was much more compliant with grass and facilities, and AFC approved it.
Yongin Mir Stadium’s grass condition was better than Gwangju Football Stadium and Gwangju World Cup Stadium, which Gwangju used as its home stadium this season. Thanks to this, Gwangju was able to play smoothly without experiencing variables caused by grass.
Asani said, “The grass was in such good condition. I and my teammates were able to enjoy it thanks to the grass,” adding, “We should have focused after scoring early, but we couldn’t do it 100% because we focused only on the results. I think there will be another good result if we focus on that in the next game.”