FC Seoul were crowned 2010 Sonata K-League champions for the first time in their current guise as they secured a 4-3 aggregate victory after defeating Jeju United 2-1 at the Seoul World Cup stadium on Sunday.
The club had previously lifted Korean football’s top prize in 1985 and 1990 as Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso, and in 2000 as Anyang LG Cheetahs they defeated Sunday’s opponents Jeju United, then known as Bucheon SK, on penalties to lift their third championship crown.
The two sides went into Sunday’s second leg all square after FC Seoul had battled back from 2-0 down in the first leg to claim a 2-2 draw. Bae Ki-jong and Natanael de Souza Santos has put home side Jeju in a commanding position by the 51st minute, however Dejan Damjanovic pulled one back just before the hour mark and then Kim Chi-woo equalised deep into injury time.
A bumper crowd of 56,759 witnessed FC Seoul emerge victorious in the second leg though they again had to come from behind as Santos’s 25th minute opener put the visitors ahead on aggregate.
Ma Chul-joon was controversially adjudged to have fouled Jung Jo-guk in the penalty area three minutes after that opener, and Jung slammed the resultant penalty kick past Jeju goalkeeper Kim Ho-joon to restore the stalemate. The two sides went in level at the break, but Brazilian defender Adilson dos Santos was to grab the title-winning goal as Server Djeparov’s cross allowed the 34 year-old to head home the winner.
The victory allowed FC Seoul coach Nelo Vingada to wrap up an impressive championship and League Cup double after defeating Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the August POSCO Cup final, and they will represent Korea as champions in the 2011 AFC Champions League. Although runners-up Jeju United missed out on the ultimate prize, they can take great credit for the huge turnaround in their fortunes under Park Kyung-hoon in his debut season after the side finished fourteenth out of the fifteen clubs last season.
2010 K-League Championship Playoff Final First Leg (Wednesday December 1st 2010)
Jeju United 2-2 FC Seoul
2010 K-League Championship Playoff Final Second Leg (Sunday December 5th 2010)
FC Seoul 2-1 Jeju United
FC Seoul won 4-3 on aggregate and are 2010 K-League champions.
Was a great atmosphere. Too bad every game can’t have this kind of crowd and environment. Great report Mark!
Sweet job again, nothing to add.