Be the first among the four K-League teams to advance to the round of 16
Jeonbuk Hyundai is the first professional soccer K-League club to advance to the round of 16 of the Asian Football Federation (AFC) Champions League.
Jeonbuk defeated Sydney FC (Australia) 3-2 in the 5th match of Group H at Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on the morning of the 29th (Korean time). Kyo-won Han scored 1 point and 1 assist, and Ilyuchenko and Gustavo scored 1 point each, leading to the comeback victory. Jeonbuk continued their unbeaten streak with 3 wins and 2 draws (11 points), securing second place in the group, maintaining a one-point gap with No. 1 Yokohama F. Marinos (4 wins, 1 loss, 12 points). Jeonbuk will play the final 6th game against Yokohama on the 1st of next month for the lead.
The Champions League group stage will be divided into East Asia and West Asia, and the East Asia group stage will be divided into 5 groups of 4 teams each. The first place in each group goes directly to the round of 16, and the top 3 teams out of the second place in 5 groups join the round of 16 additionally. Jeonbuk could not confirm the first place in the group, but regardless of the final match, they took a ticket to the round of 16 by leading all of the second place in groups I, J, and G. Jeonbuk, Ulsan Hyundai, Daegu FC, and Jeonnam Dragons participated in this year’s Champions League, and so far only Jeonbuk has made it to the round of 16.
Kyo-won Han scored the equalizer in the fourth minute of the second half after falling 0-1. Kim Mun-hwan passed a long pass forward near the camp box in Jeonbuk, and Kyo-won Han caught the ball in midfield, broke through the gate and split the goal with a right-footed shot. Gyowon Han also assisted for a comeback goal in the 22nd minute of the second half, which was 1-1. Jinsoo Kim posted a pass from the left flank, Kyowon Han dropped it to his head from the left side of the penalty area, and Ilyuchenko pushed it in with his left foot from the front door. Jeonbuk took a 2-1 lead, and Gustavo’s extra goal in the 33rd minute of the second half gave the game a boost. Jeonbuk conceded a goal in the 46th minute of the second half, but maintained the lead by one goal until the end. After the victory, Jeonbuk Hyundai coach Kim Sang-sik said, “We played a difficult game in the first half, but I think we made good results in the second half because our players had a stronger will to advance to the round of 16 than Sydney.”
Reporter Heo Jong-ho
.png?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1){kind=spacer}
