Shandong crushed by relentless Suwon

Suwon Bluewings joined Japan’s Jubilo Iwata in the semi-finals of the Asian Club Championship with a 6-0 drubbing of China’s Shandong Luneng in their final round of quarter-final matches.

Two goals apiece for Ko Jong-su and substitute Seo Dong-won as well as strikes by Denis Laktionov and Zoltan Sabo took the two-time K-League champions into the semi-finals for the second season in a row.

It took Suwon only eight minutes to go in front, Ko racing on to Park Kun-ha’s knocked down of Sabo’s long clearance before thumping the ball, left-footed, past Shandong goalkeeper Wang Jun.

Two minutes later Wang, who missed Friday’s match against Jubilo Iwata with a hand injury, denied Seo Jung-won, the former Strasbourg winger seeing his shot from the edge of the area palmed away by the keeper.

Suwon dominated the opening period of the game but Shandong remained dangerous and almost equalised in the 16th minute when Li Xiaopeng’s shot was deflected goalward by Park Choong-kyun. But Sin Bum-chul scrambled across the goal, diving to his left to clear the ball off the line.

In the 26th minute Sandro Cardoso saw his effort well saved by Wang and, on the counter-attack, Shandong’s Paraguayan Casiano forced a great save out of Sin as the Chinese side looked for the equaliser.

Suwon then doubled their advantage in the 28th minute after a surging run and shot by Denis Laktionov, the Russian turning well after being fed by Ryu Woong-yeol to charge in on goal and shoot past Wang.

Ten minutes later it was three. Laktionov was fouled 25 yards from goal, slightly right of centre and in Ko Jong-su territory. The 22-year-old international stepped up and curled the ball over the wall with enough power to prevent Wang from keeping it out.

Suwon refused to ease off in the second half and within three minutes of the restart Seo Dong-won had his name on the score sheet.

The former Taejon Citizen midfielder, signed by Suwon during the close-season, replaced Sandro Cardoso at the start of the second half and was brought down close to the touch line by Li Ming shortly after coming on.

The Chinese defender was booked and from the resultant free kick by Ko, Seo scored at the far post with a low volley.

Seo then scored his second and Suwon’s fifth just before the hour mark with a driving run that left two defenders in his wake before sliding the ball under Wang’s body and in the bottom right corner of the goal.

Ko should then have completed his hat-trick three minutes later when, after a great run by Seo Jong-won, the midfielder’s shot hit a defender and then the post before being cleared.

Suwon’s sixth did eventually come, eight minutes from time when Sabo finally scored at a set-piece, the Yugoslav stooping to head Ko’s corner in off the keeper’s right post.

from AFC website