Ulsan crowned kings of Asia

Updated November 11, 2012 10:19:40

Ulsan Hyundai has thrashed Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli 3-0 to lift its first AFC Champions League trophy and become the third South Korean club in four years to be crowned kings of Asia.

Goals from Kwak Tae-Hwi, Rafinha and Kim Seung-Yong raised the roof at Ulsan's home stadium and ensured that Kim Ho-Gon's side followed in the footsteps of Pohang Steelers and Seongnam Ilhwa, winners in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Al Ahli rarely troubled the hosts' defence throughout the 90 minutes and in the end Ulsan was a comfortable winner to the delight of an impressive crowd of 42,153.

Ulsan started the game brightly, with Rafinha and Kwak both going close in the opening 10 minutes in what was threatening to be a one-sided affair even at such an early stage.

In the 13th minute, Ulsan claimed the lead its impressive start deserved when club captain Kwak ambled up from defence to meet Kim Seung-Yong's free kick with a firm header.

Juan Estiven Velez tried his luck from long range on two occasions as Ulsan sought to extend its advantage and Al Ahli continued to struggle, but both attempts were well off target.

Al Ahli offered little serious threat in attack and, with four minutes left in the half, Kim Shin-Wook hooked his attempt wide as Ulsan sought what was turning out to be an elusive second goal.

That though changed midway through the second half when Velez's ball was headed across goal by Kim Shin-Wook and into the path of Rafinha, who scored his fifth goal in five Champions League games since arriving from J-League side Gamba Osaka.

And, with 15 minutes to go, Kim Seung-Yong added a deserved third for the dominant Ulsan when his left-foot drive from a tight angle gave Al Ahli goalkeeper Abdullah Al Muaiouf little chance.

Ulsan's fans celebrated wildly after the win which also secures their team a berth next month's FIFA Club World Cup finals in Japan.

AFP

Tags: soccer, sport, korea-republic-of, saudi-arabia

First posted November 11, 2012 10:19:40

View the original article here

Roar focused on Ulsan, not Perth

Updated April 16, 2012 16:34:43

Roar coach Ange Postecoglou says his team is fully focused on its Asian Champions League clash with Ulsan Hyundai on Tuesday night and not the upcoming A-League grand final against Perth Glory.

Brisbane is aiming to win its second straight domestic title at Lang Park on Sunday afternoon but Postecoglou says his team is not troubled by the hectic fixture list.

"That's the nature of the sport we're involved in," Postecoglou told reporters ahead of the meeting with South Korean side Ulsan.

"There's an international aspect and we certainly value it very highly. For us, we certainly want to do well tomorrow night."

Postecoglou denied the Champions League clash was a hindrance ahead of his team's A-League title decider and said the competition was a valuable learning experience for his players.

"We've really enjoyed the ACL," he said.

"We got a slow start in it, to be fair, when we played FC Tokyo here. We weren't great that night.

"But since then the two games away from home (against Beijing Guoan and Ulsan) have been really good."

Defeat to FC Tokyo and two subsequent draws leaves the Roar desperate for three points against Ulsan to keep their flickering Champions League hopes alive.

But Postecoglou believes his team is in the right frame of mind to secure maximum points.

"I think (the ACL) is a great experience for the players. I think it just keeps helping them to develop and we've certainly gathered more belief as we've gone on," he said.

"Tomorrow night a win's pretty important to us so we're really focused on that and then we'll have a look at the grand final after."

Postecoglou's sentiments were echoed by captain Matt Smith, who said playing a midweek fixture was a positive factor for his team.

"I think over the course of the year we've had numerous amounts of games, whether they've been midweek or at the weekend, and we've always basically taken one game at a time," Smith said.

"At the moment we're not focusing too much on the grand final on Sunday. It's all about trying to get three points against Ulsan."

Tags: sport, soccer, a-league, brisbane-4000, qld, australia

First posted April 16, 2012 16:30:21

View the original article here