After an extra-time clash for the ages against Bangkok United, Sydney FC are through to the AFC Champions League Two quarter-finals, making this the deepest run they’ve ever had in Asia.
For the next step of their journey, they’ll fly up to South Korea to face Group H winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, a familiar foe that the Sky Blues will be eager to finally defeat. Before it all kicks off at Yongin Mireu Stadium, not far from Seoul, let’s recap how these two sides made it this far and look ahead to how Sydney can start this on the right foot.
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Segecic and Costa lead Sky Blues to glory
It was all square and all to play for when the Sky Blues and Bangkok United started their return leg in Thailand. However, Joe Lolley clearly believed that Sydney deserved to start this with the lead, as they nearly had, and he made it a point to restore that advantage.
In just the second minute, Adrian Segecic, who’d earned a start after his brace off the bench in the first leg, found Lolley on a through ball, and the white-hot Englishman shook off his man before firing an incisive hook shot to put Sydney on top.
However, this lead would prove as fleeting as the last. In the 18th minute, Bangkok midfielder Weerathep Pomphan had the ball and plenty of space on the counter, and he used that to deal to Muhsen Al Ghassani. The Omani striker made an expertly-timed run to meet the ball, got one-on-one with Harrison Devenish-Meares, and with a low roller into the net, the Angels restored parity in the blink of an eye.
That level score would hold for the rest of the first half, despite both sides’ best efforts.
Coming back for the second half, there was plenty of reason for optimism on Sydney’s side. They’d held the edge in possession, shots taken, and setpieces earned, and all signs pointed towards that adding up to something for them.
Instead, less than ten minutes in, Bangkok caught Sydney’s defence napping right in front of their own net. Once again, Pomphan came up big, running up to pickpocket the ball, then sending it to his right where Mahmoud Eid could punch it in at point-blank range.
For the first time in a long while, Bangkok held the upper hand, and given their track record at home to this point, it could have easily spelled disaster for Sydney. But in a stunning twist of fate, the Angels’ last-gasp hero from the previous leg became their ultimate scapegoat.
Attacking midfielder Thitipan Puangchan, already in foul trouble, made a critical blunder when he gave away a free kick, tried to obstruct it, then flopped once the ball got past. The sum of his antics was a red card, and from here, Bangkok were forced to try and turtle their way across the finish line.
Costa celebrates with teammates (Photo by Maya Thompson/Getty Images)
To their credit, the Angels did manage to hold the Sky Blues off for a good while, but Sydney took full advantage of the numbers gain, sustaining pressure for so long that something had to crack. In the 88th minute, Douglas Costa lofted a cross to Segecic, and the young winger rifled a shot low, skidding it past four defenders and the keeper to sucker-punch the Bangkok crowd and put the game level once again.
After that, extra time beckoned, and in the first 15 minutes of it, Sydney once again put their man advantage to good use, throwing Bangkok right back in the blender of pressure.
The decisive moment arrived in the 100th, when Costa gave away the ball just outside the Angels’ box, but immediately intercepted Bangkok captain Everton’s attempted clearance, dodged his fellow Brazilian’s slide attempt, and launched the ball beyond Patiwat Khammai’s diving reach. With that, the former Bayern and Juventus star finally had his first ACL Two goal, and more importantly, Sydney once again had the lead.
For the final 15, Sydney practically let Bangkok have the ball, but the Angels couldn’t do much with it. Devenish-Meares made one last save, thwarting Manuel Bihr on a setpiece, and after nearly two decades of trying, the Sky Blues finally reached the quarter-finals of an Asian competition.
Meet Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, dinosaur dominators of South Korea
Founded in 1994, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are a relatively young club in the grand scheme of things, but they’ve achieved more in three decades than some clubs have done with a century’s head start. Within South Korea, they’re giants of the game, with five Korea Cups and a record nine K League 1 titles, including five in a row from 2017 to 2021.
On the continental stage, they shine just as bright, winning the AFC Champions League in 2006 and 2016. By their standards, coming down to ACL Two is actually slumming it a bit, but from Sydney’s perspective, it’ll be a welcome chance at revenge.
These two sides previously met in the group stages of the 2020 and 2022 Champions Leagues, and though the Sky Blues forced two draws, Jeonbuk won the other two matches and contributed to Sydney’s early exits from both those tournaments.
After finishing third in their 2023 season, Jeonbuk entered as the big dogs of Group H, and they affirmed that status with a 6-0 thrashing of their first opponents, Dynamic Herb Cebu. With that road win and a clean sweep at home, it was a quick and straightforward path to the knockouts, as they clinched the group’s spot with ease.
Like Sydney, Jeonbuk drew a team from Bangkok for the Round of 16, namely Thai League third-placers Port. However, where Sydney needed a close, dramatic confrontation to advance, Jeonbuk made light work of the Port Lions, going up 4-0 on the road before scoring one more at home for good measure.
With winger Moon Seon-min, the team’s top scorer in the group stage, gone on a free transfer to FC Seoul, one might think Jeonbuk are going into this weakened. However, in exchange for losing him, they’ve gained Italian striker Andrea Compagno, who introduced himself in style with a brace against Port.
They’ve also kept plenty of other key forwards around, including Song Min-kyu and Park Jae-young, each of whom have scored twice to this point.
In the midfield, there’s no shortage of options. Jin Tae-ho’s pair of goals makes him an obvious standout, while ex-Freiburg No.10 Kwon Chang-hoon also stands out with a goal and two assists. Nana Boateng of Colorado Rapids fame might also be a strong pick off the bench—he hasn’t played since November, but was a strong presence in his group stage appearances.
Finally, the clear star of the defensive line is veteran wingback Kim Tae-hwan. Despite not scoring any goals himself, he’s been the team’s biggest offensive architect, peaking with a three-assist masterpiece against Muangthong United. That’s given significant breathing room to the rest of the unit, who haven’t given up a goal in Asia since October and have no intention of breaking that streak.
The keys to getting the jump on Jeonbuk
Unlike the last round, where there were arguments both ways for who had the edge on paper, this time Sydney are the clear underdogs. Jeonbuk come from a stronger league, they’ve never lost to Sydney in any previous meeting, and they’ve had a much easier time in this tournament than the Sky Blues.
(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
As if that wasn’t enough, Ufuk Talay will have his hands full trying to craft a game plan and find matchups to exploit, because Jeonbuk have been extremely liberal about rotating personnel. A whopping 41 different Dinos have taken shifts in ACL Two to this point, compared to Sydney’s 30 players used, and many of Jeonbuk’s best performers weren’t even involved in most matches.
That’s a terrifying level of depth to contend with, and it could cause things to slip away late if fatigue sets in and Sydney’s substitutes aren’t on the same talent level.
However, this is nowhere near a hopeless proposition. Sydney actually come in with far more momentum, having gone undefeated all February and starting March with a 2-0 win at Macarthur, while Jeonbuk dropped a crucial Hyundai Derby fight with Ulsan HD.
They’ve also got an absurdly hot hand in Adrian Segecic, who’s scored six goals in Sydney’s last six matches, and whose contributions against Bangkok absolutely cannot be overstated. If Sydney can unleash him again, there’s no telling what might happen.
It won’t be easy by any stretch, and there’s no guarantee Sydney will leave on favourable or even level terms. However, the more they keep Jeonbuk contained now, the less work they’ll make for themselves in next week’s return leg—and if they can pull off an upset in Jeonbuk’s house, it could be exactly the sucker-punch they need to clear a path to the semis.
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