Jeonbuk knock out Steelers to reach Champions League quarterfinals

Football

Published: 21 Feb. 2024, 14:23 Updated: 21 Feb. 2024, 16:13

Jeonbuk knock out Steelers to reach Champions League quarterfinals

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' Hong Jeong-ho, right, vies for the ball with the Pohang Steelers' Jorge Luiz during a round of 16 match at the 2023-24 AFC Champions League at Pohang Steelyard in Pohang, North Gyeongsang on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors drew 1-1 with the Pohang Steelers in the second leg of the round of 16 of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League on Tuesday, reaching the quarterfinals for a third straight season with a 3-1 win on aggregate.

Jeonbuk beat Steelers 2-0 to kick off Champions League knockout stage

Jeonbuk went into the K League derby at Pohang Steelyard in Pohang, North Gyeongsang with a 2-0 lead from the first leg on Feb. 14.

Jeonbuk displayed another strong performance in the early going of the game, but the Steelers opened the scoring with center-back Park Chang-yong’s long shot outside the penalty area in the 12th minute.

The early goal took some pressure off the Steelers, allowing the Pohang midfield to create more chances with effective passes and crosses.

The Steelers came close to scoring another goal, with Lee Ho-jae’s shot hitting the post in injury time, but none of their efforts found the back of the net through the end of the first half.

Jeonbuk displayed more aggression in the second half and equalized with center-back Jeong Tae-wook heading in the ball in the 76th minute, which turned out to be the last goal of the match that sealed the team’s 1-1 draw and a 3-1 win on aggregate.

Jeonbuk’s victory over the Steelers came after the club beefed up their squad ahead of the 2024 K League 1, which begins in March.

Jeonbuk’s new signee forward Tiago Orobo showed good positioning skills inside the penalty box, including a moment when he passed the ball inside the box to Jeong to score that equalizer.

The victory is a bright sign for Jeonbuk, who are looking to bounce back this year. The nine-time K League 1 champions had a relatively unsuccessful season last year, finishing the league in fourth place on the 12-team table and losing the 2023 Korean FA Cup final to the Steelers.

Last season was the first time that Jeonbuk failed to win any title since 2013. The team won the K League 1 in 2014 and 2015 and the Champions League in 2016 before managing a remarkable five-season title-winning streak from 2017 through 2021 and winning the FA Cup in 2022.

Tuesday’s loss is perhaps a disappointing result for the Steelers who displayed strong form under then-manager Kim Gi-dong — who left the team in December last year to take the helm of FC Seoul — last season during which the team finished the league as runners-up and won the FA Cup.

The Pohang side was also the only K League team to manage an unbeaten streak in the 2023-24 Champions League group stage with five wins and one draw.

New manager Park Tae-ha, who managed his second game in charge on Tuesday, may need more time to craft his best XI and continue from where Kim left off.

The Steelers’ exit from the Champions League leaves two K League teams in the competition: Jeonbuk and Ulsan HD.

Ulsan were due to face Japanese team Ventforet Kofu in the second leg of the round of 16 later in the evening on Wednesday in Japan as of press time. Ulsan currently lead 3-0.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]