Pohang Steelers coach eyes Club World Cup

November 8, 2009

Pohang Steelers coach Sergio Farias is eyeing next month’s Club World Cup after his side won their third continental crown to become the most successful side in Asian football history.

The South Korean outfit shocked two-time champions Al Ittihad 2-1 to lift the AFC Champions League for the first time Saturday, adding to their titles in the former Asian Club Championship in 1997 and 1998.

Their win in Tokyo’s National Stadium over the Saudi giants means they are the first team to win three continental trophies and Farias said he hoped it would inspire Korean football to new heights.

Second-half goals from No Byung-Jun and Kim Hyung-Il sealed a 2-1 victory and Farias now wants South Korean football to become the dominant force in Asia. Pohang’s win follows victory for South Korea’s Jeonbuk Motors in 2006.

“This victory proves that Korean football is evolving but that there is room for improvement,” said the Brazilian.

“So I hope this triumph will trigger the players and clubs to open up their eyes to understand the necessity of improving their football.”

“A football club needs to use all their potential to win a title,” he added.

“When I first came to this team technically they were good but they were not as competitive.

“You have to have both technical and physical aspects but you have to achieve results, results are everything in football. We want to play football that is beautiful to watch but also achieve results.”

Following a tight first half, Pohang took the lead when No’s 25-yard free-kick found the net and they doubled their lead with a header from another set piece.

The Saudis hit back through Mohammed Noor with 16 minutes to go but could not level the scores.

Now Farias will take his charges to the Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, featuring heavyweights Barcelona, the European champions, and Estudiantes, winners of the Copa Libertadores.

“For sure, it is a dream for every club to take part in the Club World Cup, especially for us,” he said.

“We know our team’s potential. I cannot say how far we can reach, but we will do our best,” Farias added.

But before the team travel to the Middle East, Farias said Pohang were bidding for victory in the K-League. They qualified for the play-offs after finishing second in the regular season.

“We are going to aim for our second league victory (since he became coach). We know what we must do in our preparation for the Club World Cup,” Farias said.

And looking further into the future, Farias said he wants to be involved in the World Cup in his native Brazil in 2014.

“I also want to take part in the World Cup as a coach. I started my coaching career quite early, so I think I will have a chance some day. Hopefully, it will be the Brazil World Cup in 2014,” said Farias, who guided Brazil to the quarter-finals of the 2001 under-17 World Cup

Al Ittihad’s Argentinian coach Gabriel Calderon congratulated Pohang on their win.

“I don’t know how Pohang will play in the Club World Cup, but they are an attacking team, so I think they will give a really a good performance,” said Calderon, who played in the 1982 and 1990 World Cups for Argentina.

TOKYO (AFP)

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Pohang beat Al Ittihad to win AFC Champions League

November 7, 2009

Pohang Steelers of South Korea shocked two-time champions Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia 2-1 to capture the AFC Champions League title on Saturday.

With the win, Pohang bagged a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United Arab Emirates from December 9-19.

It was a third time the Koreans have won the continental title, following their victories in the former Asian Club Championship in 1997 and 1998.

They eliminated Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan and Umm-Salal of Qatar on their way to the final.

TOKYO (AFP)

Tags: afc champions league, AFP, Al-Ittihad, asian club championship, berth, continental title, fifa club world cup, koreans, pohang steelers, Qatar, saudi arabia, south korea, third time, time champions, tokyo, Umm-Salal, united arab emirates, uzbekistan

Korean, Saudi sides meet in AFC Champions League final

November 7, 2009

Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia take on Pohang Steelers of South Korea in the AFC Champions League final this weekend with both sides aiming for a record third continental championship.

In Saturday’s match, the Saudi giants, who defeated Japan’s Nagoya Grampus 8-3 on aggregate in the semi-finals, will have a chance to regain the AFC Champions League title they won in 2004 and 2005.

The Korean powerhouses, who beat Umm-Salal of Qatar 4-1 on aggregate in their semi-final clash, won the former Asian Club Championship in 1997 and 1998.

“Before every match, the chance to win is 50-50 for each team, so I can’t say who will win,” said Al Ittihad coach Gabriel Calderon, a former Argentine international.

“But we always play for a win and we will do so again in the final. We have a good team and that’s why we are now in the final,” he added.

Al Ittihad’s Tunisian striker Amine Chermiti, 21, has scored in his past three Champions League games since arriving on loan from Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin in August.

The attacking threat also comes from Moroccan forward Hicham Aboucherouane, who finished as the Saudi league’s joint top scorer last season and has been the club’s top scorer in the Champions League with five goals.

Skipper Mohammed Noor, who scored a hat-trick in the first leg against Nagoya in Jeddah, is expected to pull the strings behind them.

“The final is going to be great as we are going to face a good team similar to ours,” said Pohang’s Brazilian coach Sergio Farias, who led Brazil to the quarter-finals of the 2001 under-17 World Cup.

“We are playing the final as a representative of the K-League. This is the biggest motivation that we need. Al Ittihad are not easy opponents but at the same time I don’t think they feel we are such an easy side to beat either.”

Farias is expected to use a 4-3-3 formation with Macedonia striker Stevica Ristic flanked by the Brazilian Denilson and Noh Byung-Joon in a three-pronged attack.

The 27-year-old Ristic has scored three goals in his past four Champions League games, while Denilson, the team’s top scorer in the K-League, has netted seven times in the Champions League.

Noh has scored three times in this season’s competition and Kim Jae-Sung, an attacking midfielder, has four goals.

Al Ittihad, who defeated two Korean teams on their way to their 2004 victory, won the 2008-2009 Saudi Pro League.

Pohang have won the league cup and finished second in the K-League to book a place in the final stages of the play-offs.

The one-leg final at the National Stadium will kick off at 7:00 pm local time (1000 GMT), with the teams vying for the winner’s prize of 1.5 million dollars. The runners-up will receive 750,000 dollars.

TOKYO (AFP)