Sports News | Ulsan Beats Kobe to Reach AFC Champions League Final
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Ulsan Horangi reached the AFC Champions League final after a late penalty by Junior Negrao gave the South Korean team a 2-1 win over Vissel Kobe of Japan on Sunday.
Seoul, Dec 13 (AP) Ulsan Horangi reached the AFC Champions League final after a late penalty by Junior Negrao gave the South Korean team a 2-1 win over Vissel Kobe of Japan on Sunday.
Champions in 2012, Ulsan will face Persepolis of Iran on Saturday in Qatar where all the games are taking place due to travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus.
In a tightly contested semi final that featured both teams creating chances, it was Kobe, missing star midfielder Andres Iniesta through injury, that took the lead early in the second half when Hotaru Yamaguchi scored from a well-worked corner.
Ulsan pushed forward and was rewarded seven minutes from the end when Norwegian striker Bjorn Johnsen deflected Yoon Bit-garam's shot into the Kobe goal to take the game into extra time.
With just one minute remaining before a penalty shootout, Junior was fouled in the area by goalkeeper Daiya Maekawa and the Brazilian, top scorer in the 2020 K-League, scored from the spot to give Ulsan victory over the big-spending J League club.
“Today was a very tough game against a big team,” Junior said.
“And we did it. We just enjoy the moment. Tomorrow we start thinking about the final. I really appreciate the supporters in Korea and around the world. One more step!" (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)