Jeonbuk has club glory in sight

Korean team to take on Al Sadd in Asian Champions League final


If you have any spare time this Saturday evening, then the city of Jeonju could be a great place to visit, go for bibimbap and stay for soccer. It is the biggest game in the Asian club calendar with the Asian Champions League final taking place at the city’s World Cup Stadium between Jeonbuk Motors and Qatar’s Al Sadd.

It should be quite a match. For the third year in succession there will be a Korean team in the final of the tournament. Victory for the Jeolla Province club would also make it three wins in succession for the K-League, four wins out of the last six and a total of 10 continental crowns ― equal to the combined total of the next two nations, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

The game is a special one and never been seen before in Korea. Sure, there have been finals played in the country before ― indeed the first leg of the 2006 showdown was at the same arena as the Motors defeated Al Karama of Syria to lift the trophy ― but this is the first time that the final will be a one-off match in Korea.

Recent finals have either been home-and-away affairs or a single game played in the neutral surroundings of Tokyo National Stadium.

And Jeonbuk would be the favorite even without home advantage. The Motors have been the best team in the tournament this year, scoring an impressive 31 goals in the 10 games played so far, winning all five games in front of their own fans.

The semifinal win over two-time champion Al Ittihad turned out to be surprisingly easy. A 3-2 win in the first leg in Jeddah was good that but back in Jeonju for the second leg, Naif Hazazi, scorer of both Saudi goals from the first leg, was sent off in the 11th minute for pushing his head into the face of Cho Sung-hwan.

The youngster left the field in tears, realizing that he had just given his teammates a mountain to climb. In the end, two goals from Eninho gave Jeonbuk a 2-1 win on the evening and a 5-3 victory overall. 

“We are looking forward to the game,” said Jeonbuk coach Choi Kang-hee. “Any team that makes it to the final is going to present a tough challenge but we are confident in our own ability. Our players are focused and have been throughout the season.”

The progress to the final didn’t come without a cost. Cho will miss the final via suspension as will Croatian super-sub Krunoslav Lovrek.

It is a heartbreaking situation for Cho, who dreamed of lifting the trophy in front of his fans. Players throughout the years have experienced the bittersweet feeling of helping their team reach the final only to be denied the opportunity to play in the showpiece match.

Just last year, Seongnam striker Dzenan Radoncic collapsed to the ground at the end of the team’s semifinal against Al Shabab, as he knew that he would not be able to play in Tokyo, despite doing so much to help his team get to the Japanese capital.

“I was telling myself that I had to take care and not get one more yellow card but it was an unavoidable situation,” Cho said. “It’s really sad that I cannot play in the final but there are so many good players on our team. I am not worried about the match. Instead of playing in the final, I will be a good training partner for my teammates.”

At least Lee Dong-gook should return to action. The tournament’s top scorer sat out the second leg and is still recovering from injury. It is hoped that he will be fully recovered from his calf injury.

Most Korean fans will be desperate to see Al Sadd defeated and not just because of the trophy. The Qatari team is a familiar visitor to these shores after its controversial semifinal win over the Suwon Bluewings.

The first leg in Korea ended in chaos after Al Sadd’s second goal in a 2-0 win was deemed unsportsmanlike as Suwon expected to receive the ball from the Doha club after kicking it out of play so players could receive treatment for injury. Instead, the opposition scored a goal with the home defense looking on in shock. Suwon went to Qatar to win the second leg 1-0 but it wasn’t quite enough.

That second goal in Suwon was enough to earn Al Sadd and the goal-scorer Mamadou Niang a degree of infamy. The Senegalese striker is sure to receive a frosty reception from the home fans.

Even he will be forgotten, however, if Jeonbuk manages to triumph. If so, it should be a lively Saturday night in North Jeolla Province.

By John Duerden, Contributing writer
(johnduerden@hotmail.com)