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Korean club swamp Shanghai SIPG 5-0; UAE’s Al Ain edge Lokomotiv 1-0
AFP
Jeonju (South Korea)
Double strikes from Leonardo and Lee Dong-Gook catapulted Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to a 5-0 victory over Sven-Goran Eriksson's Shanghai SIPG as they stormed into the AFC Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday.
The 2006 champions were held for 52 minutes in the quarter-final second leg in Jeonju before Leonardo's well-taken goal blew the floodgates open.
Shi Ke's own goal doubled Jeonbuk's lead before Leonardo scored again from the spot and veteran striker Lee came on for a sublime cameo with goals in the 84th and 88th minutes.
The emphatic result makes a statement for Korean football at a time when China's mega-rich clubs are hogging the limelight and attracting a steady flow of top players.
FC Seoul are also well-placed against Chinese opposition as they take a 3-1 lead into the second leg of their quarter-final against Shandong Luneng on Wednesday.
For SIPG's former England manager Eriksson, it was a night to forget as Brazilian new signing Hulk failed to make headway against the efficient Jeonbuk defence.
Jeonbuk laid seige to the SIPG goal in the first half without creating much in the way of clear-cut chances, for all their dominance.
Tall forward Kim Shin-Wook, sporting a blond mohican, had the ball in the net in the sixth minute but it was chalked off for a foul on goalkeeper Yan Junling.
And the busy Yan did brilliantly to deny Kim Bo-Kyung on 25 minutes when he dived low to push his rasping shot around the post.
Jeonbuk's relentless pressure finally told seven minutes into the second half but it took a well-worked move to finally break SIPG's resistance.
Kim cushion-volleyed a lay-off to Leonardo on the edge of the box and the Brazilian made no mistake as he arrowed his shot past goalkeeper Yan. Wu Lei then had a great chance to level matters against the run of play, and he came to rue his tame shot when Jeonbuk grabbed their second on 58 minutes.
Lee Jae-Sung's cut-back was inviting but it was SIPG's Shi Ke who inadvertently bundled it into his own net as he rushed back to cover.
Worse was to come when Lu Wenjun was sent off for kicking Kim Hyung-Il in the head as he tried to clear off his own goal line.
And SIPG's evening deteriorated still further when Jeonbuk added three more goals to their tally in a dizzying final eight minutes.
Leonardo scored from the spot after substitute Lee Jong-Ho was fouled in the box, before Lee Dong-Gook, introduced on 63 minutes, twice finished sharply to round off a miserable night for Eriksson's team.
Caio the hero for Al Ain
Lokomotiv's hopes of making the Asian Champions League semi-finals for the first time were dashed after Brazilian winger Caio's 38th minute strike clinched Al Ain a 1-0 win in Tashkent.
The Uzbek side were in pole position to book a last four berth following their goalless draw in the UAE three weeks ago in their quarter-final first leg encounter.
But they encountered fierce opposition in Al Ain who dominated the match and came away deserving winners to stay on course for a second possible continental title after winning the inaugural tournament in 2003.
Lokomotiv's loss also saw Uzbekistan's run in the Asian Champions League scuttled in the knockout stages yet again, with no team from the Central Asian nation ever progressing to the final so far.
Pakhtakor bowed out after semi-final losses in both 2003 and 2004, while Bunyodkor exited during the same stage in 2008.
UAE star Omar Abdulrahman was in the thick of action with his immense ball skills, while Danilo Asprilla and Douglas went wide in the first half. The deadlock was broken when former Kashima Antlers star Caio ran down the centre before slipping the ball to the onrushing Douglas.
Al Ain went on to create more chances in the second half but were denied a better winning margin because of poor finishing.
However, it is a result they would gladly take as they wait for their semi-final opponents, the winners of Wednesday's second leg match between Qatar's El Jaish and the UAE's Al Nasr.
