Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Sydney: Goals in each half from Mateo Poljak and Shannon Cole proved enough to earn Western Sydney Wanderers a tense 2-0 win over FC Seoul on Wednesday and secure the A-League side a historic berth in the AFC Champions League final against Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal.
Defensive midfielder Mateo Poljak opened the scoring after just three minutes at Parramatta Stadium following a goalless draw between the pair in their semi-final first leg at Seoul World Cup Stadium two weeks ago.
And with Cole doubling Western Sydney's advantage just after the hour mark, Tony Popovic's side followed in the footsteps of Adelaide United to become only the second A-League side to reach the AFC Champions League final, where they will face an Al Hilal side who beat Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates 4-2 on aggregate.
Following the goalless first leg, both teams fielded significantly altered line-ups with FC Seoul coach Choi Yong-soo most notably brining in Mauricio Molina and Everton Santos as well as experienced Spaniard Osmar Barba.
Western Sydney coach Tony Popovic, meanwhile, was able to call on Brendan Santalab and Cole who returned from suspension, although striker Tomi Juric was omitted after straining his groin in training.
But despite the absence of Juric, Western Sydney made a dream start as Croatian Poljak expertly guided a first-time effort through a crowded penalty area after FC Seoul goalkeeper Yu Sang-hun had failed to deal with Cole's cross.
And within a matter of minutes Santalab looked set to double Western Sydney's advantage when he breached a static FC Seoul backline on the edge of the penalty area only for Yu to defuse the threat.
Goalmouth action proved rare in the first half, although, 2013 runners-up FC Seoul came perilously close to securing an equaliser after half an hour as Brendan Hamill was forced to clear Cha Du-ri's deflected shot from under his own crossbar.
FC Seoul did enjoy a sustained period of pressure throughout the latter stages of the first half, but clear sights of goal remained limited.
And the midfield jousting continued after the break until Cole doubled Western Sydney's advantage just after the hour mark as the midfielder flung himself at Labinot Haliti's back-post cross to head the ball past Yu to the delight of the home fans.
FC Seoul desperately tried to find a way back into the contest by earning a succession of corners and delivering numerous crosses into the danger area, but as Molina fired a sizzling effort narrowly over the crossbar before Kim Hyun-sung headed wide, Western Sydney survived to extend their clean-sheet record to five home games in the AFC Champions League.
Photo: WSG