The team that advanced to the round of 16 teams in East Asia of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League. In the K-League, Pohang Steelers, Jeonbuk Hyundai and Ulsan Hyundai advanced.
Following Pohang Steelers and Ulsan Hyundai, Jeonbuk Hyundai also advanced to the round of 16 of the Asian Football Confederation AFC Champions League. It is the first time in two years that three or more teams in the K-League have advanced to the round of 16 tournaments since the last four teams in 2021. Incheon United had four wins in the group league alone, but failed to pass the tournament due to its cold-hearted rules.
Jeonbuk beat Bangkok United Thailand 3-2 in the final Group F match of the 2023-24 AFC Champions League ACL at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on the 13th to advance to the round of 16 for three consecutive tournaments following 2021 quarterfinals and 2022 quarterfinals.
Jeonbuk allowed the first run in the fourth minute of the first half, and Moon Seon-min scored an equalizer in the 42nd minute of the first half. Then, Lee Dong-joon scored consecutive goals in the 31st and 33rd minutes of the second half, reversing the game. He lost a point on his comeback goal with five minutes left until the end of the game, but kept a one-goal lead to the end.
With the victory, Jeonbuk recorded 12 points 4 wins and 2 losses and ranked second in Group F after Bangkok to qualify for the last round of 16 teams. In this tournament, which will be divided into Western Asia Group A through Group E and East Asia Group F through Group J, the top spot in each group will advance to the round of 16, while the top three teams among the second-ranked teams in the same region will also qualify for the round of 16. Jeonbuk has the second best performance among the second-ranked teams in Group F through Group J.
Hyundai Lee Dong-joon of North Korea smiles brightly after scoring a goal in the final group match of the AFC Champions League against Bangkok United on the 13th.
As Jeonbuk took the last leg of the ACL round of 16, three K-League teams will participate in the round of 16 tournament. In the last 2022 tournament, only two K-League teams advanced to the round of 16, and Jeonbuk and Daegu FC clashed in the round of 16, making only Jeonbuk to the quarterfinals.
Pohang was the first K-League team to pass the preliminary round. It had four consecutive wins in Group J and confirmed its advance to the round of 16 early on. Pohang's final performance in the group stage was five wins and one draw with 16 points. After reaching the final of the 2021 event, it returned to the Asian stage for the first time in two years and continued its formidable momentum once again.
Ulsan, the "K-League champion," has also joined the round of 16. By accumulating 10 points three wins, one draw and two losses in Group I, Ulsan has secured a berth to the round of 16 strongest teams, going to the top three teams among the second-ranked teams in each group. It had only one point gap with Melbourne City Australia, which narrowly missed the round of 16 strongest teams by ranking fourth among the second-ranked teams. Ulsan, which humiliatingly failed to make it to the group stage at the last tournament, has another chance to rise to the top. Ulsan is also the last K-League team to reach the top in Asia as the winner of the 2020 ACL.
Incheon United's Chun Seong-hoon is in fierce competition for the ball in Group G of the AFC Champions League group stage against Kaya FC Iloilo on the 13th.
Incheon United fans on the road to cheer for the Philippines away.
While the previous three teams finished their group stage schedule with the advance to the round of 16, only Incheon ended its first ACL journey in the group stage.
Incheon finished Group G with a complete victory of 3-1 at an away match against Kaya FC Philippines on the day and a score of 12 4 wins and 2 losses. However, as F. Marinos of Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan defeated Luneng of Shandong Province 3-0 at the same time, Incheon, Yokohama and Shandong tied with four wins and two losses and 12 points each. Kaya lost all six games.
The ACL group league rules determine rankings of teams with tied points through matches against each other when the points are the same. The three teams including Incheon were tied at the match against each other with two wins and two losses, so the rankings were decided based on differences in gains and losses. While Incheon recorded -1 in the difference in gains and losses against Yokohama and Shandong, Yokohama recorded +1 and Shandong recorded 0, respectively, leading to different rankings.
In the end, Incheon was pushed to the third place in the group, confirming its elimination from the group stage. Considering that other teams with lower points than Incheon, such as Banpo Re Kofu 11 points in Japan and Ulsan 10 points, made it to the round of 16, it was also a result that left a deeper regret for Incheon. In the end, Incheon's first ACL journey ended with its elimination from the group stage.
2023-24 AFC Champions League Round of 16 teams in West Asia. Four teams in Saudi Arabia alone have reached the round of 16. 먹튀검증
As the ALC group league schedule was all completed with the matches on the day, all the teams that advanced to the round of 16 teams at the event were decided. In the East Asian region, K-League teams including Pohang, Ulsan and Jeonbuk as well as Yokohama, Kohu, Kawasaki Frontale Japan, Shandong China and Bangkok Thailand will participate. Three teams each from Korea and Japan and one from China and Thailand have advanced to the round of 16.
In Western Asia, four Saudi Arabian teams, including Alpha Hai, Al-Itihad, Al-Hilal and Al-Nasr, have all made it to the round of 16. Nasaf, Naftibahor, Uzbekistan, Sepahan, and Al-Ain UAE have also made it to the round of 16.
The ACL tournament will be held in home and away format, and the semifinals will be held in East and West Asia as in the group stage. The clash between East and Asian teams will take place only in the long-awaited final. The draw for the tournament is scheduled for February 28. The first round of the round of 16 will be held from February 12 to 14, and the second round will be held from February 19 to 21. From this year's event, the ACL has changed its method from the spring and autumn festivals to the autumn festivals.
