Busan Transportation Corporation put the disappointment of missing out on winning the first stage of the 2010 National League season behind them as they celebrated lifting the 2010 Samsung Life Insurance National League Cup with a 2-1 win over Ulsan Mipo Dockyard in Gangwon-do this afternoon.
Park Sang-in’s side, who triumphed 1-0 over Ulsan on the opening day of the 2010 league season through a Lee Yong-seung penalty, took the lead at the Donghae city stadium in the 75th minute as Lee notched up his fifth strike of the tournament and eleventh of the season.
Busan’s lead lasted just two minutes however as Ulsan’s Brazilian forward Alexandre Egea scored his sixth of the competition to finish overall top scorer and set up a tense finish, but it was to be Busan who would celebrate victory as substitute Jang Ji-su hit the winner in the 87th minute of the match. The triumph was Busan’s first victory in cup competition since their formation at the beginning of the 2006 season, having come closest in March of that year when they finished runners-up in the Korean President’s Cup to Gimpo Hallelujah.
Attention now turns to the second stage of the 2010 National League season which kicks off on August 21st, where the two finalists will meet at the Ulsan city stadium. Busan, who finished the first stage on 27 points and one behind stage winners Daejeon Hydro & Nuclear Power, will have the psychological advantage going into that match having recorded two wins over Jo Min-guk’s men this season however Ulsan, who finished a disappointing ninth in the first half of the season and nine points adrift of Daejeon, will be hoping their appearance in the final will kick-start their 2010 season. Incheon Korail travel to Yesan with high hopes of reaching the championship playoffs after finishing third in the first stage, with fourth-placed Goyang beginning their second stage campaign against Suwon City.
2010 Samsung Life Insurance National League Cup Final (Friday August 6th 2010)
Ulsan Mipo Dockyard 1-2 Busan Transportation Corporation
Tournament Top Goalscorers
6 - Alexandre Egea (Ulsan Mipo Dockyard)
5 - Cha Chul-ho (Busan Transportation Corporation)
Lee Yong-seung (Busan Transportation Corporation)
3 - Hong Duk-jong (Mokpo City)
Jang Hyuk (Suwon City)
Kim Joon-tae (Changwon City)
Jung Woo-in (Yongin City)
