Sydney FC has taken a giant leap towards the AFC Champions League Two semi-finals, ahead of the quarter final second leg at Allianz Stadium next Thursday night, following a 2-0 win in Korea over Asian powerhouse Jeonbuk Motors in Suwon.
This historic win will go down as one of the Sky Blues greatest in Asia thanks to two goals from Polish striker Patryk Klimala and a solid all round team performance.
Sydney FC 2 (Klimala 36’, 67’) def. Jeonbuk Motors 0
Moments That Mattered:
36’ | KLIMALA GOAL – A perfectly timed forward pass from Caceres over the top of the Jeonbuk defence finds Klimala in stride. With a deft touch, he controls the ball and rifles it past Bumkeun into the top corner, giving Sydney FC the lead.
39’ | KLIMALA CHANCE – Klimala finds space in Jeonbuk’s final third and instinctively fires a quick shot upon receiving the ball. Bumkeun reacts swiftly, diving to make the save, but the rebound falls straight back to Klimala, who strikes again, this time straight at the Jeonbuk keeper.
41’ | DEVENISH-MEARES SAVE – A curling ball in by Song towards Compagno sees the Italian leap higher than everyone and force Devenish-Meares into a fantastic diving save from low down from his header.
56’ | COMPAGNO CHANCE – Jinwoo clips in a crossed ball with true intent towards Compagno, who gets up, challenged by Grant, heading the ball onto the top of the crossbar.
67’ | KLIMALA GOAL – Sena plays the ball into Klimala’s feet, giving him space to shoot. He drives towards the 18-yard box before unleashing a powerful low strike into the bottom right corner. Hit with precision and conviction, it proves too much for Bumkeun to handle. Sydney FC extend their lead to 2-0
What They Said: Ufuk Talay: “I thought it was a good game from both teams.
“I think we capitalized on a very good moment. Patryk probably could have had a second goal in the first half as well but overall, playing against a strong side, I thought we performed well.
“We were good with the ball and, at times, very solid defensively. It wasn’t an easy game—playing away against a team like Jeonbuk is always tough.
“So, to come away with a 2-0 win, I’m very pleased with the performance of the players.”
Patryk Klimala: “It feels amazing, I was delighted to help the team with two goals but we have a lot to do yet. We have one game left and it’s not done yet.
“I think pressed really well, everything we talked about before the game we did everything.
“Even when we scored we didn’t go back, we still pressed and I think that was the reason because Jeonbuk couldn’t play through us.
“I think our confidence is still the same [ahead of the second leg] as before this game, I think we just need to go back, reset and prepare for second leg.”
Match Report: Sydney FC have made Asia Champions League history for themselves, securing a thrilling 2-0 ACL2 quarter final win against the Korean powerhouse Jeonbuk, thanks to a a Patryk Klimala brace.
The result gives the Sky Blues a great chance to progress to the semi-finals in the home leg at the Sydney Football Stadium next Thursday night.
Sydney FC dominated possession in the opening 10 minutes, but Jeonbuk soon found their rhythm, applying pressure on the Sky Blues’ defensive line.
However, moments of brilliance from Costa showcased attacking excellence, keeping Sydney FC’s frontline on the front foot.
Their efforts paid off in the 36th minute, as a beautiful pass from Caceres found Klimala, who wasted no time in firing Ufuk Talay’s men into the lead, taking the ball on his chest and smashing it past the keeper on his left foot
He had another fabulous chance moments later but had two shots saved by the keeper, before Devenish-Meares saved well from a header to give Sydney FC a well-earned 1-0 advantage at half time.
A second half energy boost for Jeonbuk’s squad saw attacking pressure on Sydney FC’s backline, with a in-form Compagno firing shots at Devenish-Meares who ensured the Sky Blues retained their lead.
A moment of brilliance in the 67th minute saw Sydney FC extends their lead. Sena’s perfectly timed pass found Klimala in space, opening the play.
With precision and power, Klimala drilled his shot home into the bottom left corner, leaving Bumekeun and the Jeonbuk defence stunned.
The result will rightly go down as one of Sydney FC’s greatest in Asia and they look forward to a big crowd in next Thursday’s sealer to clinch a semi-final spot for the first time in their history.
Sydney FC (Away) | Formation: 4-4-2: 12. Harrison DEVENISH-MEARES (GK), 5. Alex GRANT, 23. Rhyan GRANT (C), 16. Joel KING, 4. Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 24. Wataru KAMIJO (6. Corey HOLLMAN 64’), 15. Leonardo SENA, 17. Anthony CACERES, 11. Douglas COSTA (7. Adrian SEGECIC 64’), 9. Patryk KLIMALA (25. Jaiden KUCHARSKI 90’), 10. Joesph LOLLEY (37. Will KENNEDY 90+3)
Head Coach: Ufuk TALAY
Unused Substitutions: 1. Andrew REDMAYNE (GK), 21. Zachary DE JESUS, 38. Jaushua SOTIRIO, 8. Anas OUAHIM, 20. Tiago QUINTAL
Yellow Cards: Klimala 85′
Red Cards: None
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC (Home) | Formation: 4-5-1: 32. Song BUMEKEUN (GK), 2. Kim YOUNG-BIN (94. Je-Un YEON 46’), 4. Park JINSEOB (C), 39. Kim TAE-HWAN, 66. Kim TAEHYUN, 77. Kwon CHANG-HOON (Seung-Woo LEE 58’), 91. Han KOOK YOUNG (19. Nana BOATENG 58’), 8. Lee YEONGJAE (97. Jin-kyu KIM 77’), 96. Andrea COMPANGNO, 10. Song MINKYU (33. Jeon BYUNG-KWAN 58’), 18. Jeon JINWOO
Head Coach: Gustavo POYET
Unused Substitutions: 1. Jung-hoon KIM (GK), 17. Hyeon-beom AHN, 3. Choi WOO-JIN, 44. Kim HA-JUN, 25. Chul-soon CHOI, 13. Kang SANG-YUN, 16. Park JAE-YONG
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None
Venue: Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea
Referee: Asker NADJAFALIEV
Attendance: 2,561
