Steelers stun Jeonbuk with late comeback to win Korean FA Cup

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Steelers stun Jeonbuk with late comeback to win Korean FA Cup

Published: 04 Nov. 2023, 18:19 Updated: 05 Nov. 2023, 17:56

Pohang Steelers' Kim Jong-woo, named the Korean FA cup man of the match, celebrates after scoring a goal to put the Steelers up one against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors during the final in Pohang, North Gyeongsang on Saturday. [YONHAP]

The Pohang Steelers defeated reigning champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4-2 on Saturday in a stunning late-game comeback to win their fifth Korean FA Cup, ending a decade-long drought.

It was the Steelers’ first time seeing the finals since 2013 — when they defeated Jeonbuk in a penalty shootout to clinch the title on their opponent’s home turf. On Saturday, Pohang again denied Jeonbuk, winning the teams’ long-awaited rematch, this time at home.

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All Jeonbuk needed to do was hold on. The two teams entered the second half in a 1-1 draw after Jeonbuk’s Song Min-kyu scored the opener at 16 minutes and Pohang’s Han Chan-hee got the equalizer in the 44th.

A penalty by Jeonbuk’s Gustavo early in the second half put the Jeonju, North Jeolla club up 2-1, where the score stayed until Pohang's whiplash comeback.

With 16 minutes remaining on the regulation clock, Pohang's Brazilian forward Zeca tied the game with a shot from the penalty box, bringing the score to 2-2 and the team back into the fight.

Three minutes later, Pohang center midfielder Kim Jong-woo broke the tie with a shot in front of the penalty box, all but delivering the game to the home team before their rivals had a chance to breathe or blink.

Pohang Steelers' Kim Jong-woo prepares to strike the ball during the final against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in Pohang, North Gyeongsang on Saturday. [YONHAP]

Kim, 30, was later named this year’s FA Cup man of the match and awarded 3 million won ($2,300) for the game-turning goal, which was all the more impressive because he took it with his left foot. He typically shoots with his right.

The teams ended regulation time 3-2 with Pohang up one, but the game wasn’t over yet. The Steelers’ Hong Yun-sang locked in the victory with a fourth and final goal, just one minute into stoppage time.

With the final buzzer, Pohang again claimed the FA Cup, ten years since they were last crowned champions.

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After their 2013 win, the club had a rather disappointing streak at the tournament, including four consecutive years of being knocked out early during the Round of 32. But Pohang had been making a comeback, making it to the quarterfinals in 2022 and 2021 and notching a semifinals finish in 2020.

Jeonbuk saw more of a mixed bag, earning a medley of Round of 16 and 32 and quarters and semis finishes in addition to their two recent wins, in 2022 and 2020.

With their Saturday win, Pohang now tops the table of Korean FA Cup winners alongside Jeonbuk and the Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Each team has claimed five FA Cup titles since the tournament began in 1996.

Pohang, then called the Pohang Atoms, won the inaugural 1996 tournament, defeating runners-up the Bluewings in a penalty shootout. The Steelers went on to claim victory in 2008, 2012 and 2013 before notching their fifth title on Saturday.

Beyond the end of a 10-year titleless streak, this year’s win is particularly special for the Pohang club. It’s the 50th anniversary of their founding, in 1973, when they began as the semi-professional Posco FC.

The Pohang Steelers next play the Urawa Red Diamonds in an AFC Champions League group stage game on Wednesday.

BY MARY YANG [[email protected]]