Asian Champions League: Team Of Matchday Two

Goalkeeper:

Mohammad Mohammadi (Esteghlal) This goalkeeper made the team of the week in the first round and has done so again after another almost flawless performance at home to Al Jazira. The fact that it was a goalless draw has much to do with the 32 year-old.

Defenders:

Osama Hawsawi (Al Hilal)

The international defender one of West Asia’s best known stoppers and was commanding once again as Al Hilal put Mes to the sword. A fairly rare goal at the other end capped off a good night for the 25 year-old.

Hassan Muath (Al Shabab) Another excellent performance from the full-back as the Saudi Arabians picked up a very creditable win at Pahktakor. The Uzbek hosts threatened often but the 24 year-old was often there to sort out the danger.

Sasa Ognenovski (Seongnam)

The big defender enjoyed his return to Australia, Melbourne’s direct approach was meat and drink to the former Adelaide United star. He even got the all important first goal, one that he obviously enjoyed.

Midfielders:

Mitsuo Ogasawara (Kashima Antlers)

It was a frantic game at times between the champions of South Korea and Japan but the J-League 2009 MVP showed his class as the snow fell. Always with more time on the ball than anyone else, the former Serie A player smartly created a dramatic last minute winner.

Wang Changqing (Beijing Guoan) The left-sided player only entered the fray at Kawasaki Frontale on Tuesday. He may have only played 45 minutes but when he arrived it was 1-1 and by the end he had scored twice as the Chinese shocked the Japanese hosts and took a huge step towards the second round. Both goals were taken extremely well.

Thiago Neves (Al Hilal)

He may have missed a penalty but the Brazilian gave another excellent performance for the Riyadh giants and if he continues in this vein then the Saudi Arabian powerhouse could have a great tournament.

Forwards:

Leandro (Al Sadd) The Brazilian striker was simply too much for Al Ahli to handle. The UAE hosts may have been out of sorts but a hat-trick showed just why Al Sadd paid a significant sum of money to Gamba Osaka for the prolific predator.

Denilson (Bunyodkor) Bunyodkor bought last season’s tournament top scorer for a reason – to make the team more clinical. The Brazilian did just that on Tuesday, scoring both goals.

Sergio van Dijk (Adelaide United)

It hasn’t been a great week for Indonesia in this tournament but the striker of Dutch-Indonesian heritage of somewhat of a star in south-east Asia showed why Adelaide signed him for the Asian campaign. A well-taken goal in Jinan helped the Australians win 2-0 against Shandong Luneng.

John Duerden

Asia Editor

john.duerden@goal.com