The K League One Pohang Steelers have clinched early progression through the group stage.
Pohang earned a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Urawa Reds (Japan) in their 2023-24 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Group J fourth leg at Pohang Steelyard on Monday.
With the victory, Pohang increased its points tally to 12, extending its lead over Urawa Reds to eight points, clinching top spot in Group J with two matches remaining and a spot in the round of 16. They are the first team from the East Asia Zone to advance to the Round of 16 from Groups F through J.
Prior to today's match, Pohang opened with a 4-2 win over Hanoi, followed by a 3-1 victory over Wuhan Sanjin and a 2-0 win over Urawa Reds in the third match of the group stage.
On the day, Pohang fell behind in the 36th minute to Urawa Reds' Jose Kante.
However, Zeca equalized from the penalty spot in the 21st minute of the second half, and a dramatic comeback goal by Kim In-sung in the 49th minute sealed the three points. In the second half, Pohang had a numerical advantage when Takahiro Akimoro was sent off in the 26th minute for a rough tackle on Ko Young-joon.
Pohang defeated Jeonbuk Hyundai on April 4 to lift the Korean Football Association (FA) Cup trophy. It will now go for the double with the AFC Champions League.
Pohang won back-to-back AFC titles in the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons and will be looking to add a third in 2019. One more title would tie them with Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) for the most wins in the competition.
On the same day, Jeonbuk Hyundai fell to Ryan City (Singapore) 0-2 at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore. After conceding the first goal to Richario Zirkovic in the 23rd minute, they gave up a second goal to Zirkovic in the 10th minute of the second half.
They were awarded a penalty kick in the 42nd minute after a VAR review, but Gustavo missed the spot-kick, ending their hopes of a comeback.
Jeonbuk remained in second place with six points, four points behind Bangkok United (Thailand). However, the loss puts them level on points 사설토토 with third-placed Ryan City and leaves them in a position where the outcome of their remaining two matches will determine whether they advance to the round of 16.
The 2023-2024 AFC Champions League will be split into East and West Asia through the quarterfinals. Groups A through E are West Asian and Groups F through J are East Asian clubs. In the Korean Football League, there are four teams in the group stage, including Incheon United, who played today's match, Jeonbuk Hyundai (Group F), Ulsan Hyundai (Group I), and Pohang Steelers (Group J). In addition to the first-place team from each group, the top three teams from each zone will compete in the round of 16.
The AFC Champions League will begin with the group stage, followed by the round of 16 tournament in February next year, with the winner crowned in May next year. The winner qualifies for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States and earns a spot in the AFC Champions League for the 2024-25 season.