Jeonbuk beat Al Karama 2-0 in AFC Champions League final first leg

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors coach Choi Kang-hee sounded a note of relief Wednesday evening after a stoppage time goal by Botti gave his side a 2-0 win to take to Syria for the second leg of the AFC Champions League final against Al Karama.

Yeom Ki-hun had given Jeonbuk the lead in the 59th minute but it was Botti's late strike in the first minute of injury time that could prove crucial for the South Korean FA Cup holders in next week's return game in Homs.

Having seen his side struggle to break down the Al Karama defence in the opening half, Choi was pleased with the final result that they achieved in front of a crowd of 25,380 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium.

"It is a satisfying result as I was hoping for a two- or three-goal lead in the opening leg," the Jeonbuk coach said.

"The most important thing is that we didn't concede an away goal to them but the result that we ultimately achieved is a good one.

"There is still a lot to play for in Syria and there could be all types of unexpected situations that could happen there but we can be satisfied with our performance today and we can now go and prepare ourselves for the return match."

Choi admitted that he was surprised at the attacking approach of Al Karama in the opening half that initially caught his team off balance.

However, he felt that his decision to bring on Botti for skipper Kim Hyun-su early in the second half ultimately reaped rewards for the home side.

"It was a hard match because Al Karama played a strong physical game and it was difficult for us to break them down in the opening half.

"They counter-attacked well and gave us a hard time in the first half especially their number eight (Mohanad Ibrahim), who was very skilful and sharp, and their number seven (Abdul Kader Refai) and number 10 (Iyad Mando), who played very well in midfield.

"So in the second half, I decided to bring in Botti for Kim Hyun-su, who was struggling with the pace of the game, and he helped to give us something more in attack.

"I expected that the crucial time when the result would be decided would be around 60 or 70 minutes into the game, and while the Al Karama defence was strong, our players started performing better than expected and got the result."

The Jeonbuk team will leave for Dubai on Thursday and hold a short training camp during their four-day stay in the United Arab Emirates before travelling on to Syria for the return game at the Khaled Bin Al Waleed Stadium, a venue where Al Karama have yet to be beaten in this year's AFC Champions League.

"The important thing is that we must not feel intimidated in the second leg," stressed Choi.

"We know that we have the advantage in the final but we should try to forget about the two-goal lead and treat it as a brand new game that we should try to win."

Source: Xinhua