Pohang Steelers showed off their appearance as the champion of the Korea Football Association (FA) Cup on the Asian stage. It won all four of the group matches of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) and confirmed its advance to the round of 16 early on.

Pohang beat Urawa Reds (Japan) 2-1 in the fourth game of Group J in the 2023-24 ACL group stage at Pohang Steel Yard on the 8th.

Pohang (12 points), which won four consecutive group games, ended its advance to the knockout stage by widening the gap with Urawa and Wuhan Sajeon (China, 4 points), Hanoi FC (Vietnam, 3 points).

It was a thrilling come-from-behind victory. Pohang lost the first point to Urawa. Pohang, which was hit by a counterattack in the 36th minute of the first half, was dragged without blocking Jose Kanté's left-footed shot.

Pohang, which finished the first half trailing 0-1, deployed Zeka and Lee Jong-woo instead of Lee Ho-jae and Kim Joon-ho at the start of the second half. It paid off in the 21st minute of the second half. Earlier in the 17th minute of the second half, Ko Young-joon's cross from the left side of the penalty box hit Urawa defender Marius Hoybiroten's hand. The referee declared a penalty kick through video reading (VAR), and Zeka was a kicker and was sold out.

In the 25th minute of the second half, he had a numerical advantage. Urawa's Takahiro Akimoto made a rough tackle on Ko Young-joon, and a red card came out through VAR.

Pohang's come-from-behind goal was scored only in the second half's extra time. As soon as Kim Seung-dae's cross from the right area of the penalty box hit the goalkeeper's hand in the extra time of the second half, Kim In-sung, who was rushing, pushed it with his left foot to turn the game around.

Pohang was the first of the four K League 1 teams to confirm its advance to the round of 16. Ulsan Hyundai, Jeonbuk Hyundai, and Incheon United, which are on the Asian stage, cannot guarantee their advance to the round of 16.

On the same day, Jeonbuk lost 0-2 to Ryan City Salers (Singapore) in the fourth Group F match at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore.

Jeonbuk (six points) has the same score and opponent record as Ryan City, but it remained in second place ahead of it in goal difference. Jeonbuk is not far from the leader Bangkok United (Thailand, 10 points), so it can seek to turn the tables in the remaining two games.

Jeonbuk lost a point in the 23rd minute of the first half. Riccario Zivkovic connected the ball that Ryan City's Shahwal Anoir dropped with his head in the left area outside the penalty box with a right-footed shot to open the Jeonbuk goal.

Jeonbuk, which had been taking the lead and pushing for it, has hardly paid off. He lost another point in the 10th minute of the second half. Zivkovic finished the ball that Anoir pushed inside the penalty box with a right-footed shot. Jeonbuk was unable to avoid a defeat in the 45th minute of the second half when Gustavo missed a penalty kick.

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