Farmers and Ilhwa make it to Asia Cup semis

Farmers and Ilhwa make it to Asia Cup semis

BANDUNG, West Java (JP): Title holder Thai Farmers and Ilhwa
Chunma of South Korea won their last group matches yesterday to
qualify for the Asia Club Championship semifinals.

The Thais compounded host Persib Bandung's woes with a 2-1 win
in a decisive match marred by two annulled goals. It was the
first win for the defending champion after two draws here, but it
was enough to keep it in contention for its second successive
title.

Earlier in the first match, Park Nam-yoel netted the winning
goal to help South Korean league champion Ilhwa Chunma sent Verdy
Kawasaki of Japan packing.

The 1-0 win put Ilhwa at the top of the Group East standings
with seven points after two wins and one draw. The Farmers
finished second with five points, a point better than Verdy.

Yesterday's loss, on the other hand, kept Persib at the bottom
of the table with no score in three matches. It was also an
unhappy ending for coach Indra Tohir who planned to leave once
Persib finished its Asian Club Championship job.

The unbeatable South Koreans will now take on Group West
runner-up Saipa of Iran in the semifinal matches on Dec. 28. The
Farmers will play Group West winner Al-Nassr.

The Asian Football Confederation is considering bringing the
reverse semifinal matches in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Thais kept up the pressure on Persib throughout the do-or-
die match, knowing it needed a win if it was to advance to the
semifinals. Persib was missing four key players, including the
injured striker Sutiono, in the match.

The relentless attacks paid off in the 37th minute, with
Thaeerayut Pienprasob scoring from a close range. The reigning
champion should have extended its lead twice after the break, but
Hong Kong referee Fong Fatt-wah ruled the Thais off-side.

Agile midfielder Yudi Guntara kept Persib's hopes alive with a
60th minute equalizer. But Persib's celebration proved short-
lived. Twelve minutes later, defender Dede Iskandar felled
Suraphornchai Puangpaiboon, and the Thais were awarded a penalty.
Sujja Sirikeat fooled goalie Anwar Sanusi to seal Persib's fate.

In the earlier match, Park scored the lone goal at the 56th
minute after collecting a short pass from teammate Hwang Youn-
suck in Verdy's right defense side.

Both teams opted to play in an energy-saving manner throughout
th 90-minute regulation time, but Ilhwa looked to take the
control of the decisive match with a number of goal scoring
chances.

The South Koreans exploited their up-front charges from the
left wing. No single goal was converted, thanks to Verdy's
stubborn defense.

In the second half, both teams upped the pace, but Ilhwa
opened more opportunities to strike. No less than three golden
chances were squandered by striker Hwang before Park slipped in
the winning goal.

Ilhwa wasted a chance to extend its lead in the 73th minute,
when it was awarded a penalty, following a foul to its
Yugoslavian striker Ljubisa Rancovic by Verdy defender Junichi
Watanabe. Sin Tae-yong, however, fired the ball a meter off the
left post.

A struggling Verdy replied with some maneuvers to Ilhwa's
defense, only to find a solid marking by Lee Young-jin, Gennadi
Stepuchkine and Park Hwang-yun. The Japanese were often seen
scrambling in front of Ilhwa's box, but their lack of composure
cost them their goal scoring chances. (pet/arf/amd)