Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Ulsan Hyundai met contrasting fates at the AFC Champions League this week, with only Jeonbuk moving on to the knockout stage at the top Asian club soccer competition.
Jeonbuk played Melbourne Victory of Australia to a scoreless draw on Tuesday at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, about 240 kilometers south of Seoul. The result secured Jeonbuk a second place in Group G with two wins, two losses and two draws, good enough to reach the round of 16.
Also on Tuesday, Ulsan crashed out of the tournament with a 3-1 loss to Kawasaki Frontale of Japan on the road in the Group H finale. Ulsan, the 2012 AFC champ, finished third in the group with two wins, three losses and one draw.
Jeonbuk will take on another K League Classic club Pohang Steelers in the round of 16. Pohang clinched the top seed in Group E last week.
FC Seoul, the fourth South Korean team in the tournament, leads Group F heading into Wednesday’s finale against Beijing Guoan and can still advance with a loss if Central Coast Mariners and Sanfrecce Hiroshima end up in a draw in the other Group F match on Wednesday.
The K League Classic has had three champions and two runners-up in the past five AFC tournaments.
Heading into Tuesday, all four Group G clubs had seven points apiece, with Guangzhou Evergrande of China, the reigning AFC champ, leading the pack on a tiebreaker, followed by Jeonbuk. (Yonhap)
