AFC CL + Weekend Listings

So, my students are testing today which means I have hours to sit at my desk and do nothing. So, it seems a good time to give an update on the going’s on in the AFC Champions League, some random domestic news, and go ahead and put up the weekend listings.

AFC Champions League Group Stage Is Finished

Yesterday the final matchday of the AFC Champions League came to a close. When the dust settled, three of the four K League teams had managed to advance to the round of 16. They are: Jeonbuk Motors, Pohang Steelers, and FC Seoul. Only Ulsan Hyundai failed to make it through.

Group E
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Group F
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Group G
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Group H
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Other Koreans in the AFC Champions League

Nam Tae-Hee and Lekhwiya’s AFC run came to an end as they finished third in their group. Kim Seung-Yong and Central Coast Mariners also failed to make it out of the group stage as did Ha Dae-Sung (Beijing Guoan), and Cho Yong-Hyung (Al Rayyan). Shin Hyung-Min (Al Jazira), Lee Jung-Soo (Al Sadd), and Kwak Tae-Hwi (Al Hilal) all progressed.

Round of 16

In the round of 16, the two ‘zones’ (east and west) are kept apart. The country protection rule is not applied. Each tie will consist of home and away matches with the away goals rule in affect.

Al Ittihad vs Al Shabab
Al Jazira vs Al Ain
Al Sadd vs Foolad
Bunyodkor vs Al Hilal
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Jeonbuk Motors vs Pohang Steelers
Cerezo Osaka vs Guangzhou Evergrande
Kawasaki Frontale vs FC Seoul
Sanfreece Hiroshima vs Western Sydney Wanderers

Random Updates from Korea

  • A number of eyebrows were raised when Seongnam decided to appoint Park Jong-Hwan as manager during the offseason. The move has not paid off as Park was forced to resign after slapping/punching/flicking (depending on who you believe) two players during a practice match last week. One possible candidate to replace Park is supposedly former national team boss Cho Kwang-Rae.
  • Park Chu-Young continues to recover in Korea, and apparently has come to an agreement with Watford to do so. Park is supposed to report to the national team’s Paju training center today to begin his rehabilitation under the watchful eyes of the national team set up.
  • Reports emerged yesterday that a good World Cup showing could earn young left back Kim Jin-Su (currently of Albirex Niigata) a move to Europe, with Bundesliga side Hoffenheim keeping an eye on him.
  • The U16 team lost in the Mondial Football Montaigu final match 2-1 to Ivory Coast. Lee Seung-Woo scored the only goal for Korea.
  • Not specifically Korea-related, but FIFA has decided to suspend Barcelona’s transfer ban, pending the completion of the appeal. How this affects the three young Koreans in La Masia remains to be seen.

Weekend Listings

US Edition – All times EDT
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Korea Edition – All times KST
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Two vital games this weekend:

  1. Sunderland vs Cardiff in a potential make-or-break game for both. The loser will almost certainly be relegated, while the winner could escape. A draw wouldn’t really help either.
  2. Bayer Leverkusen needs a win over Borussia Dortmund to keep their noses in front for the final Champions League spot. Bayer are just one point ahead of a charging Wolfsburg side.

K League Classic and Challenge Listings

Classic – All times are KST
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Challenge – All times are KST
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*Naver, Daum, and Afreeca will stream all games live except for Jeju-Busan

About Jae Chee 339 Articles
A football fan who got bit by the writing bug.

2 Comments

  1. A couple of observations:
    1. if Kim Jin-Su does transfer to Europe, the KNT already has some decent options at left back – it’s a good and interesting problem I suppose. Wish we had depth in every position on the KNT, but that goes without saying…

    2. Barca transfer ban, while I’m relieved that’s it’s lifted, it was pretty ridiculous to begin with. FIFA has to have a good process in place for young academy players from other countries to not be placed in a capricious situation like the one LSW and the other international La Masia kids are in. It’s clear FIFA need to get that protocol established in a transparent and fair way so this distraction can be left behind.

    3. I’m still amazed, FC Seoul is next to last in the KLeague table but can still top their ACL group. I’m hoping it rallies their domestic season back to order.

    • Counter-thoughts:
      1. True, we do (have depth) now, but Yoon’s future is uncertain at QPR and Park JH is due to do his service soon. Plus as things stand now, Park is done for the season and may require surgery if you believe the reports coming out of Germany.
      2. While La Masia certainly is not a child trafficking ring, the rules are there for a reason and Barca, despite their status, should not be exempt from them. The rules need some fixing, sure, and they should be applied evenly and fairly, but Barca blatantly flouted them (especially with LSW), and they can’t whine when they get called on it. If this was some Mideast/SE Asian/Eastern European club would we be whining how unfair it is? I don’t think so.
      3. Seoul is quite the mystery club. Kind of reminds me of Chelsea a few years ago when they won the CL, but were way out of the title race in the Premier League. “Super Match” this weekend for Seoul, should be interesting.

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