From
Send to

Ulsan pounds Al Hilal to reach semis

Oct. 4, 2012 - 19:58 By Korea Herald
Ulsan Hyundai Tigers of South Korea’s K-League pounded Saudi Arabian opponent Al Hilal 4-0 Wednesday in Riyadh to reach the semifinals of an ongoing continental club football competition.

At Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium, Ulsan earned the resounding win in the second leg of the quarterfinals at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League. The victory gave the K-League club a 5-0 advantage in aggregate score. It beat Al Hilal 1-0 at home two weeks ago.

Ulsan will face Uzbekistan club Bunyodkor in the two-leg semifinals starting on Oct. 24.

Brazilian striker Rafinha scored two first-half goals in the rout. Kim Shin-wook and Lee Keun-ho each added a goal in the second half, as Ulsan joins the final four of the Champions League for the second time in team history.

Rafinha, the lone goal scorer in the first leg of the quarters, scored just three minutes apart. He found the back of the net in the 23rd minute, taking a pass from Lee and scoring from a tough angle from left wing.

In the 26th, Rafinha scored on a fast break, with Kim Seung-yong drawing two defenders to himself in the box before setting up the striker charging down the right wing.

After Kim Shin-wook headed in a cross from Maranhao to make it 3-0 for Ulsan in the 54th, the match was halted briefly as angry fans threw water bottles and debris toward the pitch.

Undeterred, Ulsan inflicted more damage in the 64th, when Lee scored on a header off Kim Seung-yong’s free kick.

Ulsan is the only K-League team left standing at the Champions League. (Yonhap News)