Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Guangzhou: Lee Dong-gook scored twice in the closing stages as 10-man Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors stunned Guangzhou Evergrande with a dramatic last-gasp 3-1 comeback win at Tianhe Sports Center on Tuesday as the former AFC Champions League winners moved two points clear at the top of Group H.
An early penalty from Argentinean midfielder Dario Conca opened the scoring for Guangzhou only for Lee Sung-hyun to pull last year’s beaten finalists Jeonbuk level just before half-time.
And despite Jeonbuk playing the final 25 minutes with 10 men following the dismissal of captain Cho Sung-hwan, Lee Dong-gook completed the comeback with a minute remaining before sealing the win with a stoppage time penalty.
The victory saw Jeonbuk move two points clear of Guangzhou and Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol with just one game remaining in Group H with all four teams still in the hunt for the last 16.
“We did a good job and we completed our revenge mission. I am very happy about the result and we will focus on the last game in the group,” said Jeonbuk coach Lee Heung-sil.
“The match meant a lot to us as we lost 5-1 to Guangzhou earlier in the competition so that’s why I sent out all the Korean players on the pitch from the start. We are very confident about the performance of our domestic players so that’s why I sent them all on the pitch from the start.
“We are now confident about the last game in the group.”
With Guangzhou knowing a win would secure a place in the last 16 as group winners, the exuberant home crowds were on their feet after just 10 minutes as Conca sent Jeonbuk goalkeeper Kim Min-sik the wrong way from the penalty spot after Zhang Linpeng had been bundled over.
But despite being forced onto the back foot for the majority of the opening 45 minutes, Jeonbuk equalised two minutes before half-time as Lee Sung-hyun eventually rolled the ball into an unguarded net following chaotic scenes inside the Guangzhou area as goalkeeper Yang Jun made multiple scrambling saves.
The home side continued to dominate at the start of the second half and were handed a major boost five minutes after the hour mark as Jeonbuk captain Cho was sent-off after picking up a second yellow card following a lunging tackle on substitute Jiang Ning on the edge of the Guangzhou penalty area.
Guangzhou continued to pour forward in the closing stages but struggled to find a way past the reorganised Jeonbuk defence as Jiang fired straight at Kim from a tight angle with five minutes remaining.
And in the last minute Guangzhou conceded possession just inside their own half allowing Seo Sang-min who raced clear, and after drawing Yang off his line, he squared the ball to Lee Dong-gook on the edge of the area and the striker rolled the ball into the empty net.
Jeonbuk sealed the win in stoppage time as second half substitute Hugo Droguett was tripped by Yang as he attempted to skip past the Guangzhou goalkeeper inside the area and Lee Dong-gook confidently converted the resulting penalty.
“All the players did their best and we lost due to some minor mistakes. I am sorry for letting down the fans and as the coach of the team I assume full responsibility for the loss,” said Guangzhou’s Korean coach Lee Jang-soo.
“We still have one last game and we still have the chance to control our own fate.
“If after they equalised we had scored the result would have been different. We will look at the video, but I accept full responsibility for the loss as I am not the type of person to look for excuses after a game.”