Yojiro Takahagi, left, of Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima fights for the ball against Kang Seung-ho of South Korea's FC Seoul during their AFC Champions League Group F soccer match at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 1. The game ended a 2-2 draw. (AP Photo)
SEOUL, APRIL 1 (AP): Rafael Costa equalized with a penalty deep in stoppage time to help FC Seoul salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in a dramatic finish to Tuesday's Asian Champions League Group F encounter.
The Japanese J-League champions gave away two late penalties to let Seoul back into the match. Takuto Hayashi saved Osmar Barba's shot from the spot in the 89th minute but wasn't able to stop Costa's shot into the left corner.
Hiroshimo led for most of the match, with Gakuto Natsuda opening the scoring from close range in the 20th before Yun Ul-lok leveled the scores 10 minutes into the second half.
Unmarked defender Hwang Seok-ho scored from the edge of the area in the 71st as the visitors regained the lead, but Seoul hit back after Kazuhiko Chiba was adjudged to have committed a foul as his team defended a cross into the area and Costa held his composure to convert the penalty.
The draw kept Seoul and Hiroshima in second spot with a win and two draws apiece, one point behind Central Coast Mariners. Marcel Seip's goal and Liam Reddy's second-half save helped Central Coast beat Beijing Guoan 1-0 and move a step closer to a spot in the knockout stage.
The Mariners conceded a penalty when Brent Griffiths brought down Beijing's Joffre Guerron in the area. Reddy, who made a desperate save just before halftime to deny Shao Jiayi a goal, scrambled to save Zhang Xizhe's shot from the penalty spot to keep the match locked at 0-0 in the 69th minute.
The home team regained momentum immediately and Dutch defender Seip capped it off four minutes later with a well-taken volley, his first goal for the Mariners.
The A-League club has a slender lead in Group F with six points from four games, one point clear of Seoul FC, Beijing and Hiroshima.
In Group H, Kawasaki Frontale scored twice in the last 16 minutes for a 2-1 win over Western Sydney Wanderers. Labinot Haliti opened the scoring for Western Sydney in the 24th when he headed in Dean Heffernan's corner kick at the far post, but captain Kengo Nakamura equalized for the hosts with a deflected shot from the right and Ryota Oshima secured the win with two minutes remaining with a shot from 25 yards.
