Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors were the only team among four South Korean K-League representatives to earn a victory this week at an ongoing continental club competition, while two Korean teams suffered defeats and another was held to a draw.
At home in Jeonju, 243 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday, Jeonbuk beat Cerezo Osaka 1-0 to move into first place in Group G of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.
Jeonbuk’s Lee Dong-gook (center) celebrates his goal. (Yonhap News)
But Jeju fell 3-1 to Gamba Osaka on the road on Wednesday and dropped to third place in Group E.
On Tuesday, FC Seoul lost 2-0 to Nagoya Grampus at home and slipped to second place in Group F. Suwon Samsung Bluewings played to a 1-1 draw against Kashima Antlers, but remained at the top of Group H.
Two weeks ago, the four K-League teams played the same four Japanese clubs, and only one of them, Jeju, emerged victorious from those matches, with two draws and a loss among the other three.
Forward Lee Dong-gook scored the winner in the second half for Jeonbuk, fighting off two Cerezo defenders to convert a low pass from Krunoslav Lovrek. The win avenged a 1-0 loss to the same Cerezo club on April 5.
“It was a must-win game for us,” Lee said.
(Yonhap News)