Jeonbuk to take on FC Seoul in FA Cup final

Football

Published: 06 Oct. 2022, 16:48 Updated: 06 Oct. 2022, 16:53

Jeonbuk to take on FC Seoul in FA Cup final

Cho Gue-sung of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors dribbles the ball past Ulsan Hyundai's Oh In-pyo during an FA Cup semifinal match on Wednesday at Ulsan Munsu Football stadium in Ulsan. [NEWS1]

Cho Gue-sung of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, right, scores the winner against Ulsan Hyundai during an FA Cup semifinal match on Wednesday at Ulsan Munsu Football stadium in Ulsan. [NEWS1]

FC Seoul and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are through to the FA Cup final after beating Daegu FC and Ulsan Hyundai in the semifinals on Wednesday.

The fight to the finals was a fierce one at DBG Daegu Bank Park and Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium, with both matches stretching into extra time and both visiting sides ultimately breaking the deadlock.

Both Seoul and Daegu struggled to find chances in Daegu on Wednesday, with Seoul providing the first serious threat in the 80th minute with a goal that was ruled offside after a VAR review.

Seoul tried again, with captain Na Sang-ho breaking through in the 87th minute, dribbling past two players then shooting from outside the box. Na's shot veered high, however, and missed the net.

The two clubs were tied at 0-0 after 90 minutes, extending the match into extra time.

Despite both clubs hammering at each other's goals in the first 15 minutes of extra time, the score remained at 0-0.

In the end, it was Na who broke the tie in the second half of extra time, just three minutes before the final whistle blew.

After Seoul found the ball in front of their goal, Stanislav Iljutcenko picked out Na running up the field and sent a long cross, putting Na in position to dribble past two Daegu defenders, step over a third and beat goalkeeper Oh Seung-hoon for the sole goal of the night.

With the win, Seoul not only earned their ticket to the FA Cup final for the first time in six years, but also cut a winless streak against Daegu to two matches after losing two league fixtures in a row.

Seoul last advanced to the FA Cup final in 2016 and were beaten by the Suwon Samsung Bluewings. If Seoul manages to win the FA Cup, it will be the club's third title, and their first in seven years.

Na Sang-ho of FC Seoul celebrates after beating Daegu FC during an FA Cup semifinal match on Wednesday at Daegu Bank stadium in Daegu. [YONHAP]

At Ulsan Munsu Stadium, not only were Jeonbuk and Ulsan Hyundai competing for a spot in the FA Cup final, but also reigniting their long rivalry as the top two clubs in the K league.

Ulsan opened the scoring in the 12th minute with Won Du-jae picking up a loose ball and beating the Jeonbuk goalkeeper to slot in their first goal. But 27 minutes later, Modou Barrow of Jeonbuk found a chance to fire off a screamer and level the score at 1-1.

With the 1-1 deadlock continuing into the second half of regular time, the match quickly heated up and turned into a physical brawl in the 95th minute that led to Jeonbuk's Park Jin-sub receiving a yellow card and Leonardo of Ulsan being sent off for headbutting Park and leaving him with a bloody nose.

Leonardo of Ulsan Hyundai, right, is sent off during an FA Cup semifinal match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Wednesday at Ulsan Munsu Football stadium in Ulsan. [YONHAP]

Despite Ulsan being left one man short, neither club was able to break the tie in the first 15 minutes. It wasn't until the dying minutes of the game that Jeonbuk's Cho Gue-sung finally broke through to score the winning goal and secure Jeonbuk's ticket to the final.

This year marks Jeonbuk's return to the FA Cup final after missing out on a spot as defending champion last year. If they win, Jeonbuk will match the Bluewings' record of five FA Cup titles, having won in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2020.

The FA Cup is not part of the K League season, but is a knockout competition hosted by the Korea Football Association where the winner earns a ticket to the AFC Champions League next year alongside the top two clubs from the K League.

Despite falling out of the semifinals, Ulsan look set to return to the Champions League again next year as the current league leaders.

While Jeonbuk is currently runner-up in the league and therefore likely headed to the continental tournament, FC Seoul's only possible route to the Champions League is the FA Cup title.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]