SEOUL // Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors hope to ride out a bribery storm and reach the Asian Champions League final when they take a 4-1 lead into their semi-final second leg against FC Seoul.
The K-League leaders were slapped with a nine-point deduction and a 100 million won (Dh322,617) fine last month after one of their scouts was convicted of bribing referees.
It recalled dark days for Korean football, after a match-fixing scandal in 2011 ended with a series of jail terms, bans and fines, and one player’s alleged suicide.
But Jeonbuk will be confident of reaching their third Asian final after scorers Leonardo, Ricardo Lopes and Kim Shin-wook combined to devastating effect in the first leg.
See also:
• Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in cruise control after 4-1 win over FC Seoul
• Al Ain put one foot in the final with 3-1 win over El Jaish
The winners of Wednesday's all-Korean clash will play UAE's Al Ain or Qatari outfit El Jaish, who will try to overturn a 3-1 deficit in their second leg on Tuesday in Doha.
“Our players have been impressive all season and I will continue to have faith in them,” said Jeonbuk manager Choi Kang-hee, according to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website. “We have confidence for the second leg.”
Jeonbuk won the title in 2006 and they have hit form in this year’s latter stages, smashing five past Shanghai SIPG to reach the semis before their four-goal spree against Seoul.
It leaves Seoul danger man Adriano teetering on 12 goals for the competition, one away from equalling the record set by Guangzhou Evergrande’s Muriqui in their 2013 title run.
But the club from the Korean capital are not giving up hope just yet, and with home advantage they will draw on memories of some heavy wins in the group stage.
“We know that we need to score many goals to get the win,” said Seoul manager Hwang Sun-hong. “We will have to be clinical and aggressive going forward ... There is still football to be played in this tie.”
FIXTURES
Semi-final second legs (first-leg scores); all kick-off times are UAE
Tuesday
• El Jaish (1) v Al Ain (3), 7.15pm
Wednesday
• FC Seoul (1) v Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (4), 2.30pm
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