Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in pole position after cruising past Kitchee in AFC Champions League drubbing
Pointless Hong Kong Premier League champions humbled by South Koreans but coach Chu remains upbeat as he sees his side ‘improving’ at this level
After the match, Kitchee coach Chu Chi-kwong stayed upbeat.
“Even though they lost, credit to the players. They lost a goal through a penalty so early and that set the course of the game,” he said. “In the second half they were good – they tried to compete.”
The Kitchee diehards had the full songbook going from the kick-off, and were booing the Koreans at every touch but it took just four minutes for the visitors to score.
Moments after the home crowd had left their seats to cheer on a Diego Forlan free kick, the ball was up the other end. Flicked on by big number nine Kim Shin-wook and not dealt with by the Kitchee defence, Lo Kwan-yee was adjudged to have brought down Lee Seung-gi. Jeonbuk’s new Brazilian signing Adriano made no mistake from the spot despite the best of intentions from goalkeeper Wang Zhenpeng.
Adriano top scored in this competition in 2016 for FC Seoul and he didn’t need to be asked twice to put himself in the early running for regaining his title of the continent’s golden boot when he added his second barely 10 minutes later. Two fine saves from Wang in the build-up for the goal counted for little as the Brazilian tapped home.
It was a goal that Jeonbuk coach Choi Kang-hee admitted was an “important factor” helped in part by their “aggressive” approach from the outset.