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)