Professional soccer K League 1 Pohang failed to retake the Asian Football League Champions League (ACL) for the first time in 12 years. Pohang lost 2-0 in the 2021 ACL final against Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) held at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 24th. Pohang won this competition in 2009. Pohang coach Kim Ki-dong experienced the championship as a player at the time.
Pohang allowed Al-Hilal’s Nasser Al-Dausari to open the scoring in the first 20 seconds of the game, disrupting the tactics they had prepared. Shin Jin-ho’s mid-range shot, which hit the crossbar in the 12th minute of the first half, was also disappointing. If it was connected with a goal, the flow could be reversed.
Pohang, who was delayed throughout the first half, conceded an additional goal in the 18th minute of the second half, amid the one-sided cheering atmosphere of 68,000 home fans that filled the stadium. Al Hilal won the ACL for the fourth time in his career. As a defender from the Korean national soccer team, Jang Hyun-soo, who has been playing for Al Hilal since 2019, tasted his second ACL championship. Pohang received 2.5 million dollars (about 3 billion won) as the runner-up prize. The prize money for the championship is 4 million dollars (about 4.74 billion won).
By Yoo Jae-young, staff reporter elegant@donga.com
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