SEOUL– Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors captured the FA Cup championship Sunday, coming out on top at the largest national football tournament with a comfortable victory at home.
Forward Cho Gue-sung scored twice, and Mo Barrow chipped in another as Jeonbuk defeated FC Seoul 3-1 in the second leg of the FA Cup final at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in the southern city of Jeonju.
The two teams had played to a 2-2 draw in the opening leg of the final Thursday in Seoul, where Jeonuk rallied from a 2-0 deficit with two crucial away goals.
And Jeonbuk didn’t need to lean on those away goals, with Barrow opening the scoring in the 11th and Cho getting his goals during the first-half stoppage time and then in the 89th minute.
Cho was named the tournament MVP after scoring a team-high four goals.
Park Dong-jin had the lone FC Seoul goal in the 69th minute.
Jeonbuk have pulled into a tie with Suwon Samsung Bluewings for most FA Cup titles with five. Jeonbuk also salvaged an otherwise disappointing season with this FA Cup title.
For 2022, Jeonbuk set out to pull off “treble,” or winning three major trophies in one season. But they finished runners-up to Ulsan Hyundai FC in the top-flight K League 1, as their streak of winning five consecutive titles came to an end. In the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, Jeonbuk lost in the semifinals on penalties.
Jeonbuk have now won at least one trophy every year since 2014.
With Jeonbuk’s victory, Incheon United, who finished fourth in the K League 1, earned their first-ever ticket to the AFC Champions League for next year.
From South Korea, the top two teams from the K League 1 and the FA Cup champions qualify for the AFC Champions League the following season, while the third-place team from the K League 1 earns a spot in the playoffs for the AFC tournament.
But Jeonbuk had already finished in second place in the K League 1 to get their AFC ticket that way. Their FA Cup title allowed Incheon United to grab a playoff spot for the top Asian tournament.
Before Sunday’s match, both teams and supporters in the stands observed a moment of silence for victims of a deadly stampede in the Seoul nightlife district of Itaewon on Saturday night.
Source: Yonhap News Agency