ID :
207215
Thu, 09/15/2011 - 04:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/207215
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S. Korean clubs winless in opening legs of AFC Champions League quarters
SEOUL (Yonhap) - Three South Korean representatives at the ongoing continental club football competition failed to pick up victories in their opening quarterfinal matches this week, putting their hopes of further advance in jeopardy.
K-League's FC Seoul lost to Al Ittihad 3-1 on the road in Saudi Arabia at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League early Thursday, Korean time. Earlier on Wednesday night, the Suwon Bluewings managed a 1-1 draw against the visiting Zob Ahan of Iran. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors dropped to Cerezo Osaka 4-3 in Japan.
In the AFC competition, teams play two matches each in the quarterfinals, once at home and on the road. The second legs are set for Sept. 27 and 28. The aggregate scores will determine who will advance to the semifinals.
In case of a tie, the first tiebreaker will be the "away goals rule," in which the team that has scored more goals away from home will be declared the winner. If teams are still tied, they will play extra time and then go to a penalty shootout.
FC Seoul is in a deep hole since it only managed one goal on the road. It will be back home for the second leg on Sept. 27 but will have to win by three goals to advance to the semis.
After a taut opening stretch at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Mohamed Noor broke the scoreless deadlock just before halftime, and Osama Al Harbi made it 2-0 in the 76th minute.
Choi Tae-uk brought Seoul to within one seven minutes later, but Brazilian midfielder Wendel sealed the deal for the home side just before the final whistle.
Choi Yong-soo, FC Seoul's bench boss, said he didn't expect to lose, but his side is not out of the competition just yet.
"It was a tough match after the long and tedious journey to Saudi Arabia, and we made mistakes that cost us two goals," Choi told the AFC website. "We're confident of winning and making up the difference in the return match at our stadium."
At Suwon World Cup Stadium just south of Seoul, the Bluewings dominated the ball early but Zob Ahan, last year's finalist, drew first blood on a second-half goal by Mohammad Ghazi. Park Hyun-beom equalized later but that was all Suwon could muster.
Suwon extended its unbeaten streak at home at the AFC tournament to 27 matches, with 22 wins and five draws, but that was little consolation for head coach Yoon Sung-hyo.
"It was a frustrating evening and we were not ruthless or clinical enough in front of goal," said Yoon. "As we expected, Zob Ahan played defensively and we had no luck in their penalty area. We should have scored more. I think we're good enough to win the game in Iran (on Sept. 28)."
Jeonbuk, currently in first place in the 16-team K-League, lost a slugfest against Cerezo at Nagai Stadium. Lee Dong-gook had two goals in the seesaw affair but the Osaka club got the last laugh when Hiroshi Kiyotake got the winner with nine minutes left.
Jeonbuk head coach Choi Kang-hee acknowledged his players lost their focus at the last minute and that led to a "disappointing" result.
"We eventually lost the game but both teams played their best and fought for 90 minutes with good football," Choi said. "We are strong at our home. We will work on what needs to be fixed for the return leg, which I think will be a different game."
K-League has taken nine AFC crowns, more than any other league in Asia, including the last two. It's also best represented in this year's quarterfinals with three teams, followed by two from Iran and one each from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Japan.
K-League's FC Seoul lost to Al Ittihad 3-1 on the road in Saudi Arabia at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League early Thursday, Korean time. Earlier on Wednesday night, the Suwon Bluewings managed a 1-1 draw against the visiting Zob Ahan of Iran. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors dropped to Cerezo Osaka 4-3 in Japan.
In the AFC competition, teams play two matches each in the quarterfinals, once at home and on the road. The second legs are set for Sept. 27 and 28. The aggregate scores will determine who will advance to the semifinals.
In case of a tie, the first tiebreaker will be the "away goals rule," in which the team that has scored more goals away from home will be declared the winner. If teams are still tied, they will play extra time and then go to a penalty shootout.
FC Seoul is in a deep hole since it only managed one goal on the road. It will be back home for the second leg on Sept. 27 but will have to win by three goals to advance to the semis.
After a taut opening stretch at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Mohamed Noor broke the scoreless deadlock just before halftime, and Osama Al Harbi made it 2-0 in the 76th minute.
Choi Tae-uk brought Seoul to within one seven minutes later, but Brazilian midfielder Wendel sealed the deal for the home side just before the final whistle.
Choi Yong-soo, FC Seoul's bench boss, said he didn't expect to lose, but his side is not out of the competition just yet.
"It was a tough match after the long and tedious journey to Saudi Arabia, and we made mistakes that cost us two goals," Choi told the AFC website. "We're confident of winning and making up the difference in the return match at our stadium."
At Suwon World Cup Stadium just south of Seoul, the Bluewings dominated the ball early but Zob Ahan, last year's finalist, drew first blood on a second-half goal by Mohammad Ghazi. Park Hyun-beom equalized later but that was all Suwon could muster.
Suwon extended its unbeaten streak at home at the AFC tournament to 27 matches, with 22 wins and five draws, but that was little consolation for head coach Yoon Sung-hyo.
"It was a frustrating evening and we were not ruthless or clinical enough in front of goal," said Yoon. "As we expected, Zob Ahan played defensively and we had no luck in their penalty area. We should have scored more. I think we're good enough to win the game in Iran (on Sept. 28)."
Jeonbuk, currently in first place in the 16-team K-League, lost a slugfest against Cerezo at Nagai Stadium. Lee Dong-gook had two goals in the seesaw affair but the Osaka club got the last laugh when Hiroshi Kiyotake got the winner with nine minutes left.
Jeonbuk head coach Choi Kang-hee acknowledged his players lost their focus at the last minute and that led to a "disappointing" result.
"We eventually lost the game but both teams played their best and fought for 90 minutes with good football," Choi said. "We are strong at our home. We will work on what needs to be fixed for the return leg, which I think will be a different game."
K-League has taken nine AFC crowns, more than any other league in Asia, including the last two. It's also best represented in this year's quarterfinals with three teams, followed by two from Iran and one each from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Japan.
