Jeonbuk, you too...ACL2 is on the verge of annihilation of the K-League after a 0-2 complete defeat to Sydney

Mar 06, 2025

◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association

Jeonbuk Hyundai is on the verge of elimination from the Asian Champions League 2.

Jeonbuk lost 0-2 in the first leg of the 2024-2025 ACL2 quarterfinals against Sydney FC (Australia) at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 6th. With the defeat, Jeonbuk will be able to reach the semifinals only if it wins by more than three goals in the second round of the quarterfinals in Sydney on the 13th.

Jeonbuk coach Gus Foye placed Andrea Compagno at the forefront, while Song Min-gyu and Jeon Jin-woo were in the second line. Kwon Chang-hoon, Lee Young-jae, Korea Young-young in the midfield, Kim Tae-hyun, Kim Young-bin, Park Jin-seop, Kim Tae-hwan in the defensive line, and Song Bum-keun in front of the goal. Douglas Costa from Bayern Munich started Sydney.

The initial trend seemed to flow in favor of Jeonbuk. In the 12th minute of the first half, Kim Tae-hwan's cross from the right side was connected by Jeon Jin-woo from the right side of the gate with a header, but the goalkeeper was blocked.

◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association

However, while Jeonbuk failed to take advantage of the opportunity afterwards, the atmosphere began to move toward Sydney. In the 36th minute of the first half, Patrick Klimala, who received a long ball handed over by Antony Caceres from the center circle, opened the goal with a left-footed shot from the left side of the gate. 0-1. Jeonbuk allowed Klimala two shots from the right side of the gate three minutes later, but Song Bum-keun saved one after another to overcome the crisis of extra runs.

At the beginning of the second half, coach Foye tried to make changes by excluding Kim Young-bin and putting in Yeon Je-woon. In the 13th minute of the second half, Lee Seung-woo and Boateng were put in place of Kwon Chang-hoon and Korea Young Song Min-gyu.

◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association

However, Jeonbuk even conceded an additional goal to Sydney, widening the gap. In the 21st minute of the second half, Klimala, who received the pass handed over by Leo Sena, opened the net again with a dribble and a right-footed shot from the left side of the arc, widening the gap by two goals.

Coach Foyet used the last replacement card in the 32nd minute of the second half by sending out Kim Jin-kyu instead of Lee Young-jae. However, Jeonbuk ended the game with a two-goal loss without creating any significant chances afterwards.

In the K-League, Gwangju FC and Jeonbuk advanced to the final tournament in the Asian Champions League Elite and ACL2, respectively. However, following Gwangju's complete defeat by Vissel Kobe, Jeonbuk was caught by Sydney, putting the Asian club on the verge of annihilation.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.

Jeonbuk, you too...ACL2 is on the verge of annihilation of the K-League after a 0-2 complete defeat to Sydney

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