Lee Seung-gi Shines to Secure Jeonbuk a Domestic Double
With many having waited since midweek for the final outcome, history was made as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors claimed a domestic double, the first in the club's history, as they overcame Ulsan Hyundai for the fourth time this season in the FA Cup Final second leg.
Jeonbuk secured their fourth FA Cup trophy and their first since 2005 with a 3-2 aggregate win over Ulsan Hyundai thanks to second-half heroics from Lee Seung-gi after the Green Warriors had initially gone behind to an early opener from Junior Negrão.
The win sees José Morais become the first Jeonbuk manager to claim a 'double', and with AFC Champions League on the horizon, the Portuguese coach now has the opportunity to secure an unprecedented treble, although he may
With the absence of first-choice wingers Han Kyo-won and Modou Barrow absent from proceedings, Jeonbuk manager José Morais made the decision to start with Cho Gue-sung and Kim Bo-kyung out wide in the side's usual 4-1-4-1 formation. Elsewhere in the side, Choi Chul-soon came in a right-back to replace the injured Lee Yong while Lee Ju-young retained his spot at left-back.
With his side at an away goal disadvantage, Ulsan's Kim Do-hoon decided to deploy an attack-minded 4-4-2 formation, boasting both Junior Negrão and Bjørn Johnsen upfront. Lee Chung-yong was also reinstated to the starting eleven, taking his place out wide and replacing Shin Jin-ho on the teamsheet. Right-back Kim Tae-hwan also returned to first-team as the Horangi sought to exploit Jeonbuk's deficiencies at full-back.
Line-ups | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 🆚️ @ulsanFC
— K League United (@KLeagueUnited) November 8, 2020
Modou Barrow drops out with Gustavo up front. Kim Do-hoon opts for two strikers in this FA Cup final 2nd leg in Jeonju. #FA컵 #JEOvULS pic.twitter.com/O6vZc067xg
Ulsan got the match off to a flying start, taking the lead within just three minutes. A Hong Chul free-kick from the edge of the Jeonbuk penalty area was met by the head of Junior who saw his initial shot saved by goalkeeper Song Beom-keun before tapping in the rebound. It was the first time Ulsan have taken the lead against the Green Warriors in their last seven meetings and it seemed to instil confidence in the side.
[GOAL] 전북현대 0-1 울산현대
— 대한축구협회(KFA) (@theKFA) November 8, 2020
퍼스트, 세컨 무엇 하나 집중력을 놓치지 않고 마무리하는 주니오.
주말에도 골무원은 출근합니다.
⠀⠀⠀#하나은행 #FA컵 #결승전 #전북현대 #울산현대 pic.twitter.com/04L56BIYgb
Things seemed to go from bad to worse for Jeonbuk as central midfielder Takahiro Kunimoto went down injured in the 13th minute and was stretchered off from proceedings, being replaced by Wednesday's goalscorer Murilo Henrique. The change saw Kim Bo-kyung move back in towards the centre with the Brazilian taking his place on the right flank.
However, the forced change did seem to invigorate the home side, with a spell of chances to bring things level, with recently crowned K League MVP Son Jun-ho notably striking the crossbar from just outside the area on the half-hour mark. Ulsan Hyundai were able to hold on until the interval though.
The hosts came out the brighter side and quickly restored parity through Lee Seung-gi after just six minutes from the restart. The attacking midfielder controlled the ball into Ulsan penalty area and then calmly finished into the bottom-corner beyond Jo Hyun-woo.
⚽️ Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1-1 @ulsanFC (agg. 2-2)
— K League (@kleague) November 8, 2020
⚖️ Lee Seung-gi has drawn things level in Jeonju as we enter an intriguing final 30 minutes in the FA Cup Final.#FA컵 I #JEOvULS pic.twitter.com/GEJjnozoKS
Ulsan manager Kim Do-hoon was quick to make substitutions. First, he removed an injured Hong Chul for youngster Seol Young-woo before then taking off Lee Chung-yong for another bright talent in Lee Dong-gyeong.
Despite this, Jeonbuk continued to grow in urgency and maintained pressure on the Ulsan backline, eventually taking the lead thanks to Lee Seung-gi once more, with the midfielder opting to shoot low from outside the area and sending the ball into the bottom right corner.
⚽️ Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 @ulsanfc (agg 3-2)
— K League (@kleague) November 8, 2020
1️⃣🆙 Lee Seung-gi gets his brace to put the hosts one step closer to their second trophy in as many weeks. #FA컵 | #JEOvULS pic.twitter.com/Z97u8GJrby
Kim Do-hoon once again reacted with a substitution, replacing midfielder Yoon Bit-garam for attacker Lee Keun-ho as his team went out in search for an equaliser and a vital away goal advantage. Moments later, Bjørn Johnsen saw his close-range header skim the top of the crossbar, serving as a warning that the tie was not yet over.
Perhaps rattled by Ulsan's near-miss, Jeonbuk opted to shore things up by removing goalscorer Lee Seung-gi for defensive midfielder Shin Hyung-min as the game entered its final ten minutes.
Nine minutes later and Lee Dong-gook was greeted with a standing ovation as Gustavo made the way for the Lion King's last appearance in a Jeonbuk shirt, allowing him to claim his first-ever FA Cup medal and bow out on a further high.
Lee almost found the net moments after his introduction, but it was Choi Chul-soon and Dave Bulthuis who created the extra-time drama, with both earning red cards after a brawl broke out in the centre circle between the pair.
The sending offs couldn't dampen the celebrations for the home fans though as the final whistle rang out, marking Jeonbuk's first-ever double trophy haul
No comments:
Post a Comment