ACL Recap: Seoul and Jeonbuk shine as K League teams go unbeaten.
A decent start to their AFC Champions League campaigns saw the four K League
teams go unbeaten, conceding only one goal along the way.
There were perfect
starts for Jeonbuk Motors and FC Seoul who beat FC Tokyo and Buriram United respectively,
while Pohang Steelers recorded a very hard fought goalless draw with big spending
Guangzhou Evergrande.
The most disappointing performance came from Suwon Bluewings who
despite being on top for most of the game failed to take their chances and
ended up with a 0-0 draw. Not the worst of starts but something they will hope
to improve on next time.
Seoul’s Quality in Attack.
The most impressive victory came as FC Seoul beat Buriram United 6-0.
While Buriram aren’t as big a name as some of the other teams in the competition
they only missed out on leaving their group due to goal difference last season
.
The most impressive part of Seoul’s display was of course
Adriano who scored 4 goals and recorded one assist on his ACL debut. His speed
was a constant threat and his finishing impeccable; in fact I can hardly remember
him missing a chance.
Just as exciting was the way he linked up with fellow
striker Dejan, who roamed just behind him providing passes and assists when
needed. Add in Park Chu-young, who provided a great back heel assist for Seoul’s
final goal, and Seoul have arguably one of the most dangerous attacks in the
competition.
Jeonbuk’s New Signings
Jeonbuk Motors played a grand total of six new signings on Tuesday
night as they beat FC Tokyo 2-1. The stand-out player here was unsurprisingly
Kim Bo-kyung whose excellent roulette turn to get out of trouble in midfield ended
up being the catalyst for the first goal. Lopes and goal scorer Ko Moo Yeol
also impressed in attack and were a constant annoyance to the Tokyo defence
during their time on the pitch.
It wasn’t all roses however as Jeonbuk will clearly need
time to get the new players fully settled in. Furthermore the substitution of
CB Lim Jong Eun at the end exposed a slight weakness in Jeonbuk’s transfer
policy as manager Choi Kang Hee’s only option to replace him was attacker
Leonardo. Certainly not ideal when your team is trying to protect a one goal
lead.
Pohang’s defensive
organisation.
Pohang Steelers went up against the odds and came back with a well-deserved
point against Guangzhou Evergrande. The stars of this performance were not
Guangzhou’s expensively assembled attack as expected, but in fact Pohang’s
resolute defence. They conceded very little in open play and Guangzhou’s best
chance came from a crossed free kick.
Pohang’s attack however can’t come away with the same credit.
In an admittedly tough game the few chances they had on the counter were wasted
due to poor final passes or shots from distance. They will certainly hope to
improve their attacking cohesion as the season goes on or they will struggle
against the better teams when they actually have to go and win the match.
Suwon’s old and new
shine.
Suwon Bluewings were arguably unlucky to have drawn against Gamba
Osaka as they controlled much of the game and had a lot of chances on goal.
Yeom Ki Hun and Kwon Chang Hun once again showed their value to the team as
they were certainly the biggest threats throughout.
Kim Gun Hee, one year Kwon’s
junior, was also chosen to make his debut and lead the line from the front over
new signing Hygor. Despite not scoring he combined well with the team and is
certainly a player with potential in the future.
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I thought the biggest surprise was Pohang getting a point against Guangzhou. Nice to see that all the money in the world can't always buy results (just usually).
ReplyDeleteYea it was a good result. It should also be mentioned though that while they did get a draw, Guangzhou were clearly the better team.
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