SKorea's Pohang wins Asian Champion's League title, 1st Ld-Writethru, SOC

Sat, Nov 7 12:10 PM

TOKYO (AP) South Korea's Pohang Steelers won the Asian Champion's League title Saturday, beating Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad 2-1 in the final for a record third continental title. Forward No Byung Jun scored from a free kick early in the second half, with his shot finding a gap in the Saudi wall.

About 10 minutes later, Kim Jae Sung sent over a free kick and defender Kim Hyung Il found the top left corner with his header to set Pohang on its way to a place in the Club World Cup. Al Ittihad, also going for its third Asian title, pulled a goal back midway through the second half when Mohammed Noor poked the ball home after Korean goalkeeper Shin Hwa Yong could only parry a close-range header from Tunisian international Amine Chermiti.

Both sides threatened in the closing minutes of the match at Tokyo's National Stadium, but the Saudi side dubbed "K-League Killers" by Korean media for its past mastery of South Korean clubs failed to find an equalizer. The victory for Pohang added to its titles in 1997 and 1998.

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