| Kang Sang-woo of the Pohang Steelers, a professional soccer player, kneels on the ground after losing the AFC Champions League final against Al Hilal at King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia on the 24th. yunhap news |
The Pohang Steelers, a professional soccer player aiming to retake the Asian summit for the first time in 12 years, fell to their knees without overcoming adverse conditions.
Pohang lost 2-0 in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) final against Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) held at King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia on the 24th (Korean time).
Al Hilal was strong. Al Hilal is considered one of the most powerful teams in Asia. There are many players from the Saudi Arabia national team, including Bapetimbi Gomis and Matteus Pereira from the English Premier League (EPL). If you calculate the value of the team as an annual salary, it amounts to 81.7 billion won.
On the other hand, Pohang is a ‘14.4 billion won’ team. In addition, due to various circumstances, such as injuries and transfers, he had to experience a power leak throughout the year. Striker Song Min-gyu, who played the main scorer role, suddenly moved to Jeonbuk Hyundai in July, and goalkeeper Kang Hyun-moo missed due to an injury. Lee “Zero Top” Seung-mo, who scored three goals in the ACL this year, was unable to depart for Saudi Arabia due to lack of volunteer work due to a special military service exception.
Pohang manager Kim Ki-dong, who defeated Cerezo Osaka, Nagoya Grampus (above Japan), and Ulsan Hyundai in order despite difficult circumstances, said he would do his best to achieve the beauty of Yujong, but could not get over the final goal.
In the 16th second of the match, before they could even regroup, Pohang was hit with a blow. Saudi Arabia’s national team player Nasser al-Dausari seized the ball from about 30 meters and then fired a surprise mid-range shot and put it into the upper left of the post in Pohang.
Pohang, who had lost momentum, had to bear the disadvantages of the away game as it was. King Fahd International Stadium can accommodate about 68,000 people, and about 50,000 home fans filled the stadium that day. The huge cheering roar grew stronger with Al Hilal’s opening goal.
Pohang did not stop counterattacking. In the 12th minute of the first half, Shin Jin-ho’s volley shot hit the crossbar and came out. Im Sang-hyeop immediately tried to shoot with his left foot, but it was blocked by goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Muiouf’s leg. In the 46th minute of the first half, Shin Jin-ho’s free kick was finished by Kwon Wan-gyu with a header, which caused a sigh as he headed straight to the goalkeeper.
At the beginning of the second half, Pohang replaced Kvesic and Lee Soo-bin, but added Jeon Min-kwang and Ko Young-jun, but could not turn the tide. Instead, he conceded an additional goal in the 18th minute of the second half. Musa Marega, who played for Portuguese professional footballer Porto, overcame a physical fight with Jeon Min-kwang and rushed to the front door, scoring a goal with a technical shot.
In an interview after the game, coach Kim said, “I’m sorry to the fans. We conceded goals too early, so many of the things we had prepared didn’t come out. We were psychologically impatient and made many mistakes.” It’s a pity that we couldn’t, and the young players seem nervous.”
By Kim Ki-tae, staff reporter ktk@yeongnam.com
Correspondent Siwoong Choi jet123@yeongnam.com
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