Pohang Steelers trounce Shandong Taishan 4-2 in AFC Champions League Elite

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Pohang Steelers trounce Shandong Taishan 4-2 in AFC Champions League Elite

Published: 07 Nov. 2024, 15:06

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

The Pohang Steelers beat Shandong Taishan 4-2 in the AFC Champions League Elite on Wednesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Pohang Steelers beat Shandong Taishan 4-2 in the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) on Wednesday to jump to seventh place in the 12-team league stage table.

The fixture at Pohang Steelyard in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, saw both sides create many chances at both ends of the pitch.

The Steelers broke the deadlock in the 30th minute with Jeong Jae-hee scoring a free kick. But Taishan’s Jorge Teixeria slotted the ball in from a corner just two minutes later to level.

The 1-1 score persisted through the end of the halftime whistle, followed by a second half that saw the Steelers playing more aggressively and sharply.

The Steelers progressed build-up play quickly and constantly created chances, leading to a second goal from Jorge Teixeira in the 64th minute.

A third goal on a clinical finish from the Steelers’ Wanderson in the 68th minute then came thanks to tidy touches from his teammates, who perfectly read each other’s movements.

The Pohang side continued to pose a threat and found the back of the net again in the 76th minute, with Oberdan finishing the job inside the penalty box.

Bi Jinhao pulled one back for Shandong in stoppage time, but the damage was already done.

Wednesday’s win marks the Steelers’ second victory in the ACLE this season, where they have picked up two wins and two losses so far in the league stage.

The Steelers, sitting in seventh place, need to secure a top-eight finish in order to book a ticket to the round of 16.

The Pohang side next face Yokohama F. Marinos in the ACLE on Nov. 27. Until then, the Steelers will catch the remaining action in the K League 1, where they have two more matches to play through the end of the regular season that wraps up on Nov. 24.

The Steelers sit in fifth place on the 12-team K League 1 table as of Thursday.

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