It was a different story from last season, literally.

Jeonbuk Hyundai earned a 1-1 draw away to Pohang Steelers in the second leg of their 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) Round of 16 tie at Pohang Steelyard on Tuesday, taking a 3-1 lead on aggregate from the first and second legs to book their place in the quarterfinals. In the first leg, Jeonbuk won 2-0 thanks to back-to-back goals from Hernandez and Ahn Hyun-beom.

The ACL introduced the Chuseok Festival and abolished away goals scored. In a tournament that is played home and away, away goals will not count. Jeonbuk struggled in the Hell’s Steel Yard, but they stayed focused and managed to hold on to their first and second game totals to advance to the ACL quarterfinals.

Pohang, with Kim Ki-Dong gone and Park Tae-Ha at the helm, lost a number of players in the winter transfer window but looked a threat against Jeonbuk as well, heralding their arrival as a dark horse. Despite missing Aubertan, 토토사이트 Jeong Jae-hee, and Baek Sung-dong due to injuries, the hosts dominated the game in a spirited fashion but were let down by a lack of finishing.

Jeonbuk conceded a mid-range wonder goal to Park Chan-yong in the 11th minute, but managed to prevent further damage.

Substitute Jung Tae-wook scored a dramatic goal with a header in the 31st minute in a chaotic situation in front of the goal to seal the draw. It was a game that showed off Jeonbuk’s unbreakable spirit.

Despite the win, it was not an easy game for Jeonbuk. In addition to the difficulty of traveling to the Steel Yard, a place where many teams complain of difficulties, the weather was not favorable. It rained throughout the game, and the weather was cold. The temperature was shown on the video, but it felt closer to freezing.

Jeonbuk had already experienced the horrors of a rainy Steel Yard in the last FA Cup final. They scored the first goal and crumbled under the onslaught of their opponents in the second half, losing 2-4. In many ways, there were ominous signs. Add to that the fact that Park Chan-yong’s daring mid-range strike in the 11th minute of the first half resulted in a goal, and Jeonbuk was thinking ‘what if’.

However, Jeonbuk has been different this season. Despite suffering from Pohang’s onslaught throughout the first half, the team remained focused and prevented any further goals. And after a halftime overhaul, Jeonbuk came out with a different attitude in the second half. They utilized the right substitutions and proved their winning mentality when Jeong Tae-wook scored the equalizer in the 31st minute.

Last season, Jeonbuk struggled against Pohang with one draw and four losses.

The first leg was Petrescu’s first win against Pohang. “To some extent, it was a very important first and second leg to start the season,” said Jeonbuk coach Dan Petrescu. Pohang is still an opponent we need to be wary of. I think Pohang is a good team again this season, but our players did a good job,” he smiled.

“We started the game on the front foot and created a lot of chances, but we didn’t capitalize on them and conceded the first goal. However, 파워볼실시간 we organized well in the second half and were able to score and finish the game,” said Petrescu, adding, “Fortunately, we have strong and experienced players. They did well to overcome the 0-1 deficit,” praised the players.

Jeonbuk proved their champion DNA by hanging on in a difficult but necessary match. If Jeonbuk advances to Ulsan Hyundai in the quarterfinals, as expected, they will face Hyundai in a three-game derby series starting in March. It will be interesting to see if Jeonbuk, who in many ways have moved on from their FA Cup nightmare, can show a different side from last season and become the champions they deserve to be.