 Suwon BlueWings forward Mato Neretljak, left, celebrates with Yeom Ki-hoon after scoring a game winning penalty in extra time in Thursday’s second leg of the AFC Champions League quarterfinal at the Foolad Shahr Stadium in Isfahan, Iran (KST). / Yonhap |
By Yoon Chul
The Suwon BlueWings advanced to the last four of the AFC Champions League Thursday (KST).
Mato Neretljak’s penalty in the first half of extra time gave the club a 2-1 victory against Zob Ahan in the quarterfinal at Foolad Shahr Stadium in Isfahan, Iran.
With a 3-2 aggregate victory, Suwon became the second Korean team to make the semifinals after Jeonbuk Motors also progressed
“In Korea, we had many chances but failed to convert them into goals. One reason was that we did not know enough about Zob Ahan,” said Suwon manager Yoon Sung-ho. “My players put a lot of effort into the game for the win. For us, I don’t care which team we face in the semis. We’ve got sufficient self-confidence and abilities to make it to the final.”
Suwon will meet Qatari outfit Al Sadd, while Jeonbuk will play Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia on Oct. 19 and Oct. 26. The final is scheduled for Nov. 5.
Anticipation is growing that a Korean side will retain the Champions League title for a third consecutive year, with the possibility of an all-Korean final. Seongnam Chunma lifted the trophy last season after Pohang Steelers triumphed in 2009.
After a 1-1 draw in the home leg, the BlueWings were in trouble when Mohammad Ghazi found the net in the 50th minute.
The Iranian side thought they had scored again in the 69th, but the referee ruled the effort offside to the relief of the visitors.
Suwon then equalized in the 77th when Yeom Ki-hun’s looped cross found Yang Sang-min, who headed home. With the match level after 90 minutes the game headed to extra time.
In the 99th minute Zob Ahan defender Mohammad Ali Ahmadi fouled Suwon forward Stevica Ristic in the penalty area. The referee automatically pointed to the spot and Neretljak converted the spot kick.
Meanwhile, following their advance to the semifinals Jeonbuk officially apologized to Japan after one of their supporters brandished a politically-incorrect sign during the quarterfinal between the Motors and Cerezo Osaka of Japan. At the Jeonju World Cup Stadium an unidentified fan held a sign saying “Let’s celebrate Japan’s big earthquake” in Japanese referring to the massive quake that hit Japan in March.
“We are really sorry to the Japanese. We will handle the matter in order for it not to happen again,” a Jeonbuk official said.
The club has attempted to find the person responsible and said the fan would not be allowed back in the stadium if identified.
