AFC Champions League holders Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors lost further ground on the top four in the K-League on Sunday after going down 1-0 at Chunnam Dragons in the Jeolla derby.
Kim Tae-so's late goal earned the Korean FA Cup holders a narrow victory against a Jeonbuk side that finished the game with only nine players.
Chunnam, whose participation in the AFC Champions League came to an end in midweek, enjoyed the better of the first half but should have fallen behind early in the game as Lee Hyun-sung was sent clear on goal by striker Stevica Ristic but screwed his effort wide.
After that let-off, Kim Tae-su nearly gave the Dragons the lead after 35 minutes when Jeonbuk keeper Kwou Sun-tae spilled a Leandro header but recovered sufficiently to save Kim's shot on the turn.
The game came to life in the second half as Jeonbuk were reduced to nine men. First to go was Kim Hyun-soo who received two yellow cards in the first five minutes after the restart.
He was soon followed by fellow defender Kim Young-son who was ejected after a foul on Kim Chi-woo.
Chunnam stepped up the pressure but the visitors held out until nine minutes from time when Kim Tae-so lashed home a shot from outside the area.
Despite the loss, Jeonbuk stayed fifth in the K-League, four points behind fourth-placed Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i while Chunnam move up to seventh.
Earlier in the day, an early strike from Fernando gave Daejeon Citizen their second win of the season, a 1-0 home victory against Jeju United.
Two other teams at the wrong end of the table, Daegu FC and Busan I'Park, played out a 1-1 draw.
18 May 2007
Patricio Morales' brace handed Arema Malang an ideal start to the defence of their Copa Indonesia crown with a 2-1 first-leg victory against Division I side Persiba Bantul on Thursday.
Arema were without captain Ponaryo Astaman and midfielder Elie Aiboy, who joined up with the Indonesia national team at a training camp on Samarinda, while head coach Miroslav Janu also rested defender Bruno Casimir and striker Essa Mvondo ahead of Wednesday's AFC Champions League meeting with Chunnam Dragons.
Chilean striker Morales, who had just returned from a long term injury, headed his side ahead after 16 minutes but the visitors hit back as Sunar Sulaiman diverted Ezequiel Gonzalez′s cross into his own net six minutes before the break.
The home side upped the tempo in the second half and Morales struck with 12 minutes remaining to hand Arema a slender advantage ahead of the second leg.
Meanwhile, Division I outfit Persipasi Bekasi stunned Premier league side PSIM Yogyakarta with a thrilling 5-4 penalty shoot-out victory after the tie had ended in a 3-3 aggregate stalemate.
PSIM had previously claimed a 2-1 first leg victory, but Persipasi produced a similar second leg result courtesy of goals from Achmad Ramdani and Sumardi to send he tie to penalties after a goalless period of extra time.
PSAP Sigli became the second team from the lower division to advance to the next round despite suffering a a 3-1 second leg defeat by Premier League outfit Persiraja Banda Aceh following a 3-0 first leg triumph.
Division I side PSBL Langsa also advanced at the expense of a top-flight outfit after edging out Persikota Tangerang 3-1 on aggregate.
Henry Gobah's double and a solitary strike from David Kelvin handed PSBL a commanding advantage after a goalless first leg before Mohammad Ilham grabbed a consolation goal for Persikota.
Sriwijaya FC Palembang edged out cross-town rivals PS Palembang 2-1 in the second leg and qualified to the next round with a 5-4 aggregate victory after being held to a disappointing home first-leg draw.
Christian Worabay opened the scoring for Sriwijaya after just five minutes before Agustinus Ketor levelled 20 minutes later, but Nurhakim struck the crucial goal 12 minutes from time.
Pelita Jaya Purwakarta also advanced with a 2-1 aggregate victory over Division I side Perserang Serang.
09 May 2007
Kawasaki Frontale became the first Japanese team in five years to qualify for the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League after a 3-0 home victory over Indonesia′s Arema Malang in Group F on Wednesday.
Victory gives Kawasaki 13 points from five matches, six points head of South Korea′s Chunnam Dragons, who defeated Bangkok University 3-2 in their penultimate game.
Kengo Nakamura scored twice and Taku Harada added the other as Kawasaki ended Japan′s five-year wait to put a team in the last eight of Asia′s premier club competition.
While Kawasaki advanced, Japanese champions Urawa Reds wasted their opportunity after being held to a 3-3 draw away to Indonesia′s Persik Kediri in Group E.
Budi Sudarsono grabbed an 82nd-minute equaliser for the home side after Urawa had fought back from 2-1 down to lead 3-2.
The result opens the door for Australia′s Sydney FC, who drew 0-0 at home to China′s Shanghai Shenhua.
Sydney have eight points, one behind Urawa with the two teams set to meet in Saitama on May 23 in the likely group decider.
Persik have a mathematical chance of qualifying but would need to beat Shanghai by nine goals in their last game and rely on Sydney drawing with Urawa.
Shinji Ono put Urawa ahead with a ninth-minute penalty after Robson Ponte had been brought down in the box.
Uruguayan striker Christian Gonzalez levelled for Persik 14 minutes later, also from the penalty spot, after a foul by Urawa defender Fabio Nene. Gonzalez then gave his team the lead on 31 minutes with a thunderous drive from the left.
Just five minutes into the second half, substitute Masayuki Okana crossed for Ponte to volley in Urawa′s equaliser and Yuki Abe headed in from a corner in the 62nd minute to give the Japanese a 3-2 lead.
Victory would have given Urawa a place in the quarter-finals but Budi′s late equaliser means there is still much work to do.
China′s Shandong Luneng drew 2-2 at home to Australia′s Adelaide United, which means that to top Group G they need a draw in their final match in a fortnight away to Korea′s Seongnam Ilhwa, who on Wednesday beat Vietnam′s Dong Tam Long An 2-1.
The top teams from each of the seven groups join defending champions Chonbuk Motors of South Korea in the quarter-finals.
05 May 2007
The K-League champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma triumphed over the AFC Champions League title-holders′ Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Saturday with a 2-0 win to maintain their three point lead at the top of the table.
In front of 30, 000 fans at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonbuk were given a lesson in finishing by a clinical Seongnam side who are in action in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday night in a must-win clash with Dong Tam Long An.
Heroes of the 2006 success Yeom Ki-hoon and Brazilian striker Ze Carlos went close on a number of occasions but it was Jang Hak-young who put the visitors ahead after 16 minutes with a left-foot shot from the edge of the area.
Seongnam began to establish control helped by the influential duo of Kim Doo-hyun and Choi Sung-kuk and it was no surprise when they added a second with 17 minutes remaining. Brazilian Mota finishing nicely after finding space in the area.
Korea Republic′s other representatives in the AFC Champions League, Chunnam Dragons may have no chance of making it to the quarter-final stage but the Korean FA Cup holders defeated Pohang Steelers 2-1 to record only their second win of the season.
Kang Min-su opened the scoring for the Dragons by heading home on the half-hour but the visitors hit back after 36 minutes thanks to a Kim Jin-kyu own goal.
With 18 minutes remaining, international defender Kim Chi-woo drove home a left-foot shot to earn three points for Chunnam.
Suwon Samsung Bluewings came from behind to defeat basement-dwellers Gwangju Sangmu 3-1 and stay three points behind Seongnam in second.
Gyeongnam FC moved into third with a 1-0 win at home to Daegu while FC Seoul drew 0-0 at Daejeon Citizen and manage to stay fifth despite failing to score for a sixth consecutive game.
Elsewhere, Incheon United drew 2-2 at home to Busan l′Park while Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I were defeated 2-1 at the home of Jeju United.
26 April 2007
Shanghai Shenhua and Adelaide United were sent crashing out of the AFC Champions League on Wednesday as Japanese sides edged closer to the last eight.
Shenhua, quarter-finalists last year, picked up their first point in four games in a dour 0-0 home draw with J-League champions Urawa Red Diamonds but it wasn′t enough to keep them in the continental competition.
Adelaide, in their first Asian campaign, also failed to make the cut, snuffed out in a 1-0 away loss to Korean champions Seongnam Chunma.
A superlative 29th minute strike from Choi Sung-kuk was enough to sink United, whose fate was sealed when group leader Shandong Luneng of China defeated Vietnamese minnows Dong Tam Long An 3-2.
But fellow A-League side Sydney FC kept their hopes alive with a Steve Corica brace helping them to a 3-0 home victory over Indonesia′s Persik Kediri to put them just one point behind Urawa in Group E with two games left to play.
Only the top team from each group qualifies for the knockout rounds.
China international striker Li Jinyu scored a last-ditch winner deep into stoppage time as Shandong edged 10-man Dong Tam Long An for their fourth consecutive win in Group G.
The match, which was disrupted late in the second half by a floodlight failure, appeared headed for a draw when Li latched onto an Aleksandar Zivkovic pass and slid the ball through the legs of Dong Tam goalkeeper Santos.
The victory helped Shandong maintain their five-point lead over second-placed Seongnam. The Chinese league champions only need two points from their final two games to book their passage into the knockouts.
Japan′s Kawasaki Frontale also took a major step towards booking their place in the quarter-finals with a comfortable 3-0 win over Korea′s Chunnam Dragons at the Todoroki Stadium in Kawasaki.
The win leaves Takashi Sekizuka′s side all but assured of a berth in the last eight, with the J-League runners-up needing just one point in their final two games against Arema Malang and Bangkok University.
Brazilian striker Juninho gave Frontale the lead after 25 minutes but it was a brace from Jong Tae-se that sealed a win that moves Kawasaki on to 10 points from four games.
In Malang, Indonesia′s Arema edged Bangkok 1-0 to keep their slim hopes alive and end any dream the Thai outfit had of joining the big guns in the last eight.
In other matches, Uzbekistan′s Neftchi upset Qatari champions Al Saad 2-1.
Al Saad prop up Group C with only three points from four matches and their chances of maintaining a 100 percent record of appearing in every Champions League quarter-finals all but over.
Elsewhere, Iran′s Sepahan and and United Arab Emirates side Al Ain played out a 1-1 draw in Group D.
The group matches wind up on May 23 when the competition pauses for the Asian Cup finals.
Defending champions Jeonbuk Motors have a bye to the quarter-finals in September. The winners take home 600,000 US dollars and earn a place in the FIFA Club World Cup in December.
23 April 2007
Reigning champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma moved five points clear in the K-League after a 2-0 victory against Gyeongnam in the seventh round recently.
Kim Doo-hyun and Mota were on target for Kim Hak-bum′s men in another strong display which propelled them to 17 points.
Pohang Steelers and FC Seoul drew 0-0 in a clash which pitted the second against third and both failed to make much headway up the ladder.
Suwon Bluewings had to be satisfied with a point after a goalless stalemate with Chunnam Dragons.
Former champions Ulsan Hyundai slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Daegu and slipped to fifth.
Elsewhere, Asian club champions Jeonbuk Motors thrashed Incheon United 3-1, Busan I'Park drew with Daejeon Citizen 2-2, Jeju United shared a point with Gwangju Sangmu after a 1-1 stalemate.
Reigning champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma moved five points clear in the K-League after a 2-0 victory against Gyeongnam in the seventh round recently.
Kim Doo-hyun and Mota were on target for Kim Hak-bum′s men in another strong display which propelled them to 17 points.
Pohang Steelers and FC Seoul drew 0-0 in a clash which pitted the second against third and both failed to make much headway up the ladder.
Suwon Bluewings had to be satisfied with a point after a goalless stalemate with Chunnam Dragons.
Former champions Ulsan Hyundai slumped to a 3-1 defeat at Daegu and slipped to fifth.
Elsewhere, Asian club champions Jeonbuk Motors thrashed Incheon United 3-1, Busan I'Park drew with Daejeon Citizen 2-2, Jeju United shared a point with Gwangju Sangmu after a 1-1 stalemate.
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma moved five points clear at the top of the K-League after a clinical 2-0 win at Gyeongnam FC, while AFC Champions League title-holders Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors returned to winning ways.
Seongnam have endured mixed form in the continental competition and sit five points behind Shandong Luneng in Group G, but have enjoyed a recent run of form on the domestic scene.
Kim Doo-hyun curled home a free-kick to send the defending champions into the lead five minutes before the break.
Seven minutes after the restart, the visitors moved further ahead as Mota fired home from inside the area after being picked out by Nam Ki-il.
Jeonbuk beat in-form Incheon United 3-1 courtesy of Yeom Ki-hoon's double to move above the hosts into sixth place.
After a goalless first half, Yeom Ki-hoon shot Jeonbuk ahead from distance just two minutes after the restart.
Ze Carlo doubled Jeonbuk's lead with 20 minutes remaining following good work from Lee Hyun-sung.
But Kim Sang-rok headed home Jang Kyong-jin's corner with eight minutes remaining to reduce the deficit and set-up a tense finish, before Yeom grabbed a second for the visitors to secure the win with three minutes remaining.
Chunnam Dragons, the K-League's other continental representatives, drew their fifth game of the season with a goalless stalemate against Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
Sung Jung-hyun came closest to breaking the deadlock for the Dragons just before the break as his long range strike struck the inside of the post, while Mato Neretljak also hit the woodwork in the second half for the Bluewings, who moved into second place in the table.
Gwangju Sangmu and Jeju United drew 1-1, while FC Seoul, Pohang Steelers or Ulsan Hyundai Horang-I can cut Seongnam's lead to three points with victories on Sunday.
11 April 2007
Brazilian Carlos Juninho scored twice to lead Japan′s Kawasaki Frontale to an impressive 3-1 away victory over South Korea′s Chunnam Dragons on Wednesday to take charge of Group F in the AFC Champions League.
The victory gave Kawasaki seven points from three games, three ahead of the South Koreans.
Juninho scored in the 29th and 70th minutes, either side of a strike by fellow Brazilian Magnum Tavares on 57 minutes.
Kang Min-soo scored in the final seconds for Chunnam, who now face a tough task if they are to win the group and advance to the quarter-finals.
In the other Group F match, Thailand′s Bangkok University were held to a 0-0 draw by Indonesia′s Arema Malang, who picked up their first point of the competition.
Though the Thai team are unbeaten, they have only three draws from three games.
It was a good day for Japanese clubs, with Urawa Reds edging out China′s Shanghai Shenhua 1-0 in Saitama, Yuki Abe scoring the only goal on the stroke of halftime.
Urawa lead Group E with seven points from three matches, with Australia′s Sydney FC second on four points from two games.
Sydney′s match away to Indonesia′s Persik Kediri was postponed until Thursday because of a waterlogged pitch at the Manahan Stadium in Solo City.
Chinese champions Shandong Luneng moved five points clear at the top of Group G after their 4-0 victory over Vietnam′s Dong Tam Long An in Jinan.
Han Peng scored twice in the first half and Wang Yongpo and Li Jinyu added further goals after the break as Shandong notched their third successive win.
South Korea′s Seongnam Ilhwa and Australia′s Adelaide United trail on four points each. Seongnam fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 away to Adelaide on Wednesday.
In Group B, Uzbekistan′s Pakhtakor lost for the first time and also relinquished their lead in the group after succumbing 2-0 at home to Saudi Arabia′s Al Hilal, who take over at the top.
Second-half strikes from Omar Al Ghamdi and Rodrgio gave Al Hilal four points from two games, with Pakhthakor one point adrift.
Al Kuwait is the only other team in the group after Iran′s Esteghlal were expelled from the competition for failing to register.
The top team from each of the seven groups will join defending champions Chonbuk Motors of South Korea in the quarter-finals.
08 April 2007
Defending champions Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma moved three points clear at the top of the K-League table with a 3-0 away win against 2005 champions Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i on Saturday.
Seongnam, who face Adelaide United on Wednesday in an AFC Champions League Group G encounter, dominated proceedings in Ulsan and took the lead three minutes before the break when Kim Do-heon headed Jang Hak-yong's cross from the left into the roof of the net.
Three minutes into the second half, the lively Jang was involved again as the left-back made an overlapping run into the box to receive a pass from Choi Sung-kuk before firing a fiercely-hit drive past goalkeeper Kim Young-kwang from a tight angle.
Seongnam could have extended their lead in the 64th minute when Son Dae-ho's 30-yard shot hit the woodwork but the visitors got their third goal with five minutes remaining when Han Dong-won netted his first for the club with a header at the far post.
It was a good night for all of Korea's representatives in the AFC Champions League continental competition as continental champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Korean FA Cup holders Chunnam Dragons also recorded wins.
Jeonbuk hadn't won in the league since the opening day and looked set for another setback at Gyeongnam FC when they fell behind in the first half to a strike by Brazilian midfielder Popo.
But just after the hour Yeom Ki-hun equalised for the visitors with a left foot shot from just inside the area after good work from Kwon Jip.
With 14 minutes remaining, substitute striker Ze Carlo fired home from close range to send Jeonbuk up to fifth in the table.
Meanwhile, Chunnam picked up their first win of the K-League season four days ahead of their crucial AFC Champions League tie with Kawasaki Frontale.
The only goal of the game against Jeju United came after 76 minutes as Kim Jin-kyu fired home a penalty after Baek Sung-min was brought down in the penalty area.
Elsewhere, Incheon United defeated Daejeon Citizen 3-2, Daegu FC won 2-1 at Gwangju Sangmu, and Busan I'Park recorded a 1-0 win at Pohang Steelers.
