football-tournament

▲ In this file photo from Oct. 27, 2021, Jang Soon-hyeok of Jeonnam Dragons (L) celebrates his goal against Ulsan Hyundai FC in the semifinals of the FA Cup football tournament at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, some 415 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo from Oct. 27, 2021, Lee Jong-ho of Jeonnam Dragons celebrates his goal against Ulsan Hyundai FC in the semifinals of the FA Cup football tournament at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, some 415 kilometers southeast of Seoul. (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo, provided by the Korea Football Association on Oct. 27, 202, Bruno Lamas of Daegu FC (2nd from R) is congratulated by teammates Jeong Tae-wook, Cesinha and Lee Jin-yong after scoring a goal against Gangwon FC during the semifinals of the FA Cup football tournament at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon, about 85 kilometers east of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ In this file photo, provided by the Korea Football Association on Oct. 27, 202, Cesinha of Daegu FC (C) controls the ball against Gangwon FC during the semifinals of the FA Cup football tournament at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon, about 85 kilometers east of Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

football-tournament

Giant killers in S. Korean football chasing historic title

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- The giant killers of South Korean football will try to make history at the largest national tournament starting this week.

Jeonnam Dragons of the second-tier K League 2 will take on the K League 1 club Daegu FC in the two-legged final of the FA Cup tournament. The opening leg kicks off at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Jeonnam's home, Gwangyang, some 420 kilometers south of Seoul, in South Jeolla Province.

The return leg will be on Dec. 11 at DGB Daegu Bank Park in Daegu, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The aggregate score will determine the champion, with the away goals rule in effect.

In their unlikely march to the final, Jeonnam took down three K League 1 clubs: Suwon FC in the round of 32, Pohang Steelers in the quarterfinals and then Ulsan Hyundai FC in the semifinals.

They're now trying to become the first second division club to win the FA Cup.

This is their fifth trip to the FA Cup final. They won it all in 1997, 2006 and 2007, and lost to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the 2003 final.

Jeonnam had the stingiest defense in the K League 2 this season, allowing the league-low 33 goals in 37 matches. They just missed out on a chance to earn promotion to the top league earlier this month, and the FA Cup is the only thing left to play for.

The winner of this tournament will qualify for next year's Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, and no K League 2 club has ever made it to the top continental event.

Daegu FC won their first and so far only FA Cup title in 2018. A win over Jeonnam will send Daegu back to the AFC Champions League for the second straight year.

Daegu are sitting in third place in the K League 1 and have won their past two matches after going winless in their previous four.

Since the start of this month, they have been playing without three players, Park Han-bin, Jeong Seung-won and Hwang Soon-min, who were suspended by the club for the remainder of the season after violating COVID-19 protocols. Photos of the three players roaming downtown Daegu streets maskless in the wee hours of Nov. 1, just after Halloween, surfaced on social media. Those who claimed to have seen the players said the three appeared to be intoxicated and were shouting obscenities.

Daegu FC apologized to fans for the players' behavior and banned them for the rest of 2021 on Nov. 2.


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