SEOUL, Oct. 5 (Yonhap) — Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors beat bitter rivals Ulsan Hyundai FC 2-1 to reach the championship final of the largest national football tournament Wednesday.
Forward Cho Gue-sung netted the winner three minutes into the second extra period as Jeonbuk eliminated 10-man Ulsan in the semifinals of the FA Cup at Munsu Football Stadium in the southeastern city of Ulsan.
The teams were knotted at 1-1 after 90 minutes of regulation, before Cho broke the deadlock by converting a cross from right back Kim Moon-hwan.
In the two-legged final, Jeonbuk will face FC Seoul, who defeated Daegu FC 1-0 in their semifinal match at DGB Daegu Bank Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. That match was also decided in extra time, and Na Sang-ho played the hero with a right-footed strike in the dying moments of the extra period.
The first leg of the final will be Oct. 27 in Seoul, followed by the second leg on Oct. 30 at Jeonbuk’s home in Jeonju.
Jeonbuk have a shot at pulling off the “double” by winning two major trophies this year. In addition to the FA Cup, Jeonbuk are in second place in the K League 1, five points behind Ulsan with four matches to play.
Ulsan and Jeonbuk will have their final clash of the K League 1 season Saturday, back at Munsu Football Stadium.
Jeonbuk forward Song Min-kyu struck the crossbar in the seventh minute, with Kim Jin-su testing Jo Hyeon-woo in Ulsan’s net three minutes later.
Then Ulsan broke the ice in the 13th minute, when Won Du-jae pounced on a loose ball after goalkeeper Song Bum-keun made an initial save on Valeri Qazaishvili’s shot from close range. The rebound bounced all the way out to the right edge of the box. Ulsan midfielder Oh In-pyo beat everyone to the ball and teed it up for Won, who made no mistake with his right foot.
Mo Barrow tied things up for Jeonbuk in the 39th minute. The Gambian forward secured the ball in midfield, dribbled toward the center of the box and launched a thunderous left-footed strike to beat diving goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo.
Jeonbuk controlled the run of play early in the second half, with Cho Gue-sung’s right-footed shot that went wide left of the net being one of a handful of scoring chances for the visitors.
Ulsan pushed back a bit as the match progressed. In an exciting sequence of events in the 70th minute, Ulsan’s substitute Um Won-sang struck the far post with a shot from tough angle on the right side. The rebound found its way to Qazaishvili, whose low shot was turned aside by Song Bum-keun in Jeonbuk’s net.
The match took a crucial turn during stoppage time in the second half. In a particularly testy moment in Jeonbuk’s box, Ulsan forward Leonardo headbutted Jeonbuk defender Park Jin-seop, leaving him with a bloody nose. Leonardo was sent off on a direct red card following a video review of the heated exchange between the players.
Jeonbuk capitalized on the man advantage, with Cho deftly redirecting Kim Moon-hwan’s low pass and finding the top shelf to put his club ahead for good.
The other semifinal match was just as dramatic, and Na found the back of the net after some great individual effort. After taking a pass in midfield, Na danced his way toward the middle of the box before launching a right-footed shot that deflected in off a body and left goalkeeper Oh Seung-hoon frozen in his spot.
The FA Cup champions will get to play in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League for the following season, along with the top two clubs from the K League 1. A third-place team in the K League 1 will make the AFC Champions League qualifying playoffs.
Ulsan and Jeonbuk have all but secured their AFC tickets with their K League performances. FC Seoul, far out of top-three contention in the domestic league, must win the FA Cup to earn their spot in the top continental tournament.
Source: Yonhap News Agency