Pohang, Ittihad target record title in Tokyo, SOC

Wed, Nov 4 07:11 AM

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) If Pohang Steelers didn't already have enough at stake with a record third Asian title on the line against Al Ittihad at Tokyo on Saturday, the South Korean media has tried to give them a little extra motivation. Al Ittihad, the team from Jeddah has a history of defeating K-League teams in the Asian Champions League competition, so much so that it has been dubbed 'K-League Killer' by the Seoul media.

In 2004, Al Ittihad eliminated Jeonbuk Motors in the semifinal. That earned a final with Seongnam Chunma.

The first leg ended in a 3-1 home loss but, in the most famous turnaround in Asian soccer history, Al Ittihad won 5-0 in the second leg. The Saudi club then thrashed Busan I'Park on their way to the 2005 title.

Pohang and Al Ittihad have a lot in common ahead of the ACL final at National Stadium in the Japanese capital. Both teams have two continental club titles and are vying for an unprecedented third.

Both teams have South American coaches, foreign strikers and have scored 15 goals in the five games in the knockout stage, but Al Ittihad will start as favorite. Coach Gabriel Calderon has led Al Ittihad to the final without losing a game.

It has improved along the way. A 5-1 aggregate win over Pakhtakor of Uzbekistan was followed by an 8-3 home-and-away triumph over Japan's Nagoya Grampus.

Al Ittihad has stayed in Japan since the second leg win 10 days ago. "Before every match the chance to win is 50-50 for each team so I cannot say who will win," Calderon said.

"But we always play for a win and we will do so again in the final." The Al Ittihad strike force is North African.

Hicham Aboucherouane from Morocco teams up with Tunisia's Anime Chermiti. The ex-Hertha Berlin striker is aiming to become the first player to play at the Club World Cup with two different teams after appearing with Etoile in 2007.

Pohang Steelers haven't won the continental championship since back-to-back successes in 1997 and '98. This time, they have Brazilian star Denilson and Stevica Ristic of Macedonia in the lineup and both are in fine form.

A 6-0 thrashing of Australia's Newcastle Jets in the second round was followed by a thrilling 5-4 aggregate win over Luiz Felipe Scolari's Bunyokdor in the quarterfinal. A regulation 4-1 semifinal defeat of Umm Salal provided the final spot.

"Al Ittihad are not easy opponents but from their point are view, Pohang are not easy opponents either," said Pohang manager Sergio Farias. Farias maintained that his players were not tired despite playing 48 matches in the past eight months.

"The final is going to be great. Al Ittihad scored a lot of goals in the semifinal but our team also scored good goals.

" As well as the action on the pitch, much attention will be focused on the success of the match off it. Since the continental club championship started in the Champions League format in 2003, the final has been a home-and-away contest.

This year, the showpiece is a one-off match at a neutral venue. With no Japanese team in the final, there are concerns of a small attendance given the fact that Asian fans rarely travel overseas in vast numbers to support their club teams.

Pohang has announced that 400-500 fans will travel east, with even fewer expected to make the 12,000 mile round-trip from Saudi Arabia. "I hope we haven't been so arrogant in deciding to do this," said AFC boss Mohammed bin Hammam when the decision was made last year.

"You have to appreciate the difference in football between now and the past. We are looking to revolutionize football in every area in Asia.

We all have the same concerns but let us give it a try for two years and see how it's going to work." The AFC is doing all it can to attract fans and has been promoting it with the Saudi Arabian population and the sizable Korean community in the Japanese capital.

"We are working with the local organizing committee to fill the stadium," an AFC spokesperson told The Associated Press. "We expect an attendance of 20,000 to 25,000.

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