A trivial goal celebration has cost star striker Tomi Juric a place in the opening leg of Western Sydney’s Asian Champions League semi-final.

Juric and two of his teammates, Shannon Cole and Brendan Santalab, have been suspended from the September 17 match against FC Seoul in South Korea for accumulated yellow cards.

It’s a huge blow for the Wanderers, who advanced on the back of Juric’s tie-winning penalty in Wednesday’s 2-1 away loss to Guangzhou Evergrande.

It was his celebration of that strike – allegedly inciting the Chinese crowd by raising his finger to his lips – that drew the caution, his second of the quarter-finals.

Juric also scored the A-League club’s only goal in their heated 1-0 first-leg win over Guangzhou at Parramatta Stadium.

The controversy continued in China for the second leg, with local fans reportedly banging on the Wanderers’ hotel doors and calling their rooms in the early hours of the morning before the crucial match.

The team bus was also involved in two accidents on the way to Tianhe Stadium and laser beams reportedly shone into the players’ eyes during play.