Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Guangzhou: FC Seoul coach Choi Yong-soo was magnanimous in defeat after seeing his side lose the final of the AFC Champions League on away goals to Guangzhou Evergrande at Tianhe Stadium on Saturday evening.
Choi’s team drew 1-1 with Guangzhou having been held to a 2-2 draw at Seoul World Cup Stadium two weeks ago, resulting in the title shifting from Korean to Chinese hands after Ulsan Hyundai claimed the title last year.
Brazilian striker Elkeson gave Guangzhou the lead after 58 minutes only for Dejan Damjanovic to level the scored four minutes later, but it was not enough for FC Seoul who needed to score at least twice to have any chance of winning the title after the home side netted.
“In the first half it finished level, even though we gave them some chances but we had chances also,” said the former Korea Republic World Cup striker.
“In the second half, their foreign players created a great chance and they scored a goal. We scored as well and had chances too and the game ended in a draw, but a few small mistakes saw us lose the balance of the game.”
FC Seoul’s appearance in the final was their first since the inauguration of the AFC Champions League in 2002 and victory had been the goal for the Korean side since kicking off the competition in impressive fashion with a 5-1 thrashing of Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Sainty in the group stages.
The K League Classic champions saw off the likes of Beijing Guoan, last year’s beaten finalists Al Ahli from Saudi Arabia and Iran’s Esteghlal on the way to the deciding game, but Guangzhou proved to be a challenge too far for Choi and his players.
“Since February 26 when we started to play in the competition against Jiangsu, my players were always looking forward,” he said. “They were running and doing everything to achieve our objectives.
“There were some happy times for my players, but there was only one objective and that was to be champions, and we couldn’t achieve it. We have to accept that and we feel sorry about it but that’s football.”