Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Seongnam: Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma picked up their first win of the 2012 AFC Champions League campaign on Wednesday evening with a comprehensive 5-0 thrashing of Graham Arnold's Central Coast Mariners.
Lee Chang-hoon gave the 2010 champions the lead six minutes from the half-time break and, just four minutes later, Brazilian striker Everton Santos (Everton Leandro dos Santos Pinto) doubled his side's advantage with a fine acrobatic strike.
Kim Sung-hwan made it 3-0 with 20 minutes remaining when he hit a thunderous shot high over Central Coast goalkeeper Matt Ryan and Everton Santos (pictured) added a fourth from the penalty spot before Vladimir Jovancic completed the rout with a side-footed effort seven minutes from time.
The win was Seongnam's first after a series of three draws earlier in the group stage and moves the two-time continental champions onto six points, level at the top of Group G with Nagoya Grampus, three points clear of Central Coast and China's Tianjin Teda with two games remaining.
"I am very happy. The players were tired, but they followed the instructions I gave them before the match and gave 120%," said Seongnam coach Shin Tae-yong.
"If they play like they did today in the K-League, it will be better and our position will improve.
"In the last two games in the K-League we have won without conceding a goal and I think this had a positive effect."
Seongnam shaded the exchanges in a tight opening 30 minutes with Lee sending an early effort wide, while Adam Kwasnik and Oliver Bozanic were both unsuccessful with later efforts for Central Coast.
But, with six minutes remaining in the half, the K-League side went in front when Kim Sung-hwan threaded the ball through to Heverton (Héverton Durães Coutinho Alves) and the Brazilian laid off to Lee, who gave Ryan little chance with a crisply struck shot.
In the 43rd minute, Seongnam doubled their advantage with a moment of brilliance from Everton Santos, who volleyed home with his right foot after Jovancic's header of Heverton's free kick dropped over the striker's right shoulder.
Seongnam asserted their dominance in the second half and, in the 70th minute, Kim raced into the Central Coast penalty area before lashing a right-foot shot high into the net, beating Ryan with pace and power.
And, just three minutes later, referee Saeid Mozaffarizadeh pointed to the penalty spot when Kim Sung-joon was brought down and Everton Santos stroked the ball home to add to Central Coast's misery.
Jovancic then completed the rout in the 83rd minute when he side-footed the ball home to give the K-League side an emphatic victory that ignites their challenge for a place in the Round of 16, while handing Central Coast a first defeat following a run of three successive draws for the A-League side.
"The difference in performances from the home game to this game was the players are fatigued and tired," said Mariners coach Graham Arnold, who saw his side lose on penalties to Perth Glory in the A-League Grand Final play-offs at the weekend.
"They had no spark, no power, because they've had a very hard schedule. We've been playing three games a week for the last six weeks. And we have a lot of kids in our team.
"It's not an excuse it's reality. A reality that to perform at international level it is very difficult to play 120 minutes on Saturday night, travel all day Sunday and play against a very good football team in Seongnam on Wednesday."
Photo: WSG