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Asian Champions League Preview: Pusan v Al Sadd [Tue Sep 13th, 2005]
Two experienced coaches will meet in South Korea as the winners of Groups C and G clash in an intriguing last eight matchup.
Pusan I-cons (South Korea) - Al Sadd (Qatar)
The 2004 Korean FA Cup winners are not in the best form having lost the first three games of the K-League’s opening stage. However, there is little incentive for the four-time champions to strive for the top, as they have already booked a place in the end of season championship playoffs by finishing the first stage in top spot.
They also finished the first stage of the Asian Champions League in first, scoring 25 times in the six group games, but Al Sadd will provide much stiffer competition than the team have come across so far.
Since that success in July, Ian Porterfield’s team has signed two exciting front men on six-month loan deals. The first arrival was naturalised Korean citizen, Lee Seong-nam.
Denis Laktionov, as he used to be known, has spent eight years in South Korea and reached last season’s final with Seongnam Ilhwa, but despite scoring a goal in his team’s first leg victory at Al-Ittihad, the Saudi side won 5-0 in the return match in Korea to take the title.
Pohang Steelers’ striker Da Silva, made the short journey down the south-east coast to Pusan and the Brazilian will be looking to score his first champions league goal.
The visitors may have lost Hussein Yasser to Manchester City and Iranian defender Hossein Kaebi to Iranian champions Foolad, but the ten-time Qatari champions should not be taken lightly, especially as they snapped up one of the hottest properties in Asia since winning Group C in May.
Emerson was the top scorer of the 2004 J-League, scoring 27 times for Urawa Red Diamonds and was also the league’s MVP in 2003 and it was a real coup for well-travelled coach Bora Milutinovic to bring the Brazilian to the Middle East to team up with prolific Ecuadorian Carlos Tenorio.
The weather has been wild on the Korean peninsula recently, and don’t expect matters to calm down on the south coast.
John Duerden
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