Shandong Taishan of the Chinese Super League (CSL) defeated Bangkok United of Thai League 1 in a penalty shootout 4-3, following a 1-1 draw in extra time at home on Tuesday, to advance to the group stage of the 2024-25 Asian Football Federation (AFC) Champions League Elite.
The game was a 50-50 affair from the opening whistle, as both sides created and missed several opportunities to score. United found the net first in the 37th minute. Although replays showed that Richairo Zivkovic seemed to be offside when he received the ball, there was no video referee assistant (VAR) in the game to recheck the sequence.
Taishan tied the score in the 43rd minute after a short corner kick. Valeri Qazaishvili took the ball on the edge of the box and scored with a shot from the outside. The first half ended 1-1.
Neither side found the net in the second half or extra time, so the winner had to be decided through a penalty shootout. Four of Shandong’s players converted their attempts, with only Li Yuanyi’s effort saved by Bangkok’s goalkeeper. United missed two of their penalties and Taishan secured the victory to advance.
They will join two other CSL clubs, Shanghai Port and Shanghai Shenhua, in the Champions League Elite group stage that begins on September 17.