Suwon wins, nation in mourning

[nyujeelandsaram]

That was a horrible way for it to end.

But I guess Suwon deserved to win based on the fact that they were equal with Ulsan for the best season record.

Pohang played bloody well, a lot better than I expected them to and hitting the woodwork twice (three time if you count the penalty miss by Kim Min-sung) sucked dogs balls.

[SteveW]

Allez Allez Suwon Allez!!!!!!!!!!

Allez Allez Suwon Allez!!!!!!!!!!

Allez Allez Suwon Allez!!!!!!!!!!

Allez Allez Suwon Allez!!!!!!!!!!



I expect HJ to be very very pished by now....his little fanboy chums will be plying him with soju!!

[toohyper]

I can't give Cha Bum Keun any credit...Suwon got too much talent...i dunno how they don't win every single year. Oh well..

Now for FA Cup...me wanna see a surprising team win it all.

[Holyjoe]

That was a crap 120 minutes of football (what I remember of it anyway), and I was thinking that deciding the title on penalties was a horrible way to do it.

Not to mind though, as Suwon won - good old Zoran Urumov scoring to put them 4-3 up and then Lee Woon-jae saving from Kim Byung-ji ( ;D ) to win the league.
I don't remember much about the aftermath of the shootout other than ending up on my erse about two rows forward and having a few of the Skull Crew pile on top of me.
Oh aye, and I met sv07

Some highlights:

MBC News report

KBS News report

YTN News

[Holyjoe]

More photies in the photos section

[Holyjoe]

Kim Jin-woo registered for the Grandbleu site and apologised for missing the penalty yesterday... as well as all the usual congratulatory stuff

Kim Dae-ui wrote a wee message about how happy he was and how he hopes to play for Suwon for the rest of his career and help the club gain more stars for their crest...

[nyujeelandsaram]

The latter was really balling his eyes out after the game wasn't he?

Must suck to be really rich and successful all the time.

[MinnesotaUlsan]

I don't think I'm the only one on here who really want to see Pohang win, am I?
A few of us die-hard fans of the league down here, were pulling for them.
But Pohang fans can't complain too much. They had their chances.
And I think Suwon got lucky Pohang missed those two off the woodwork.
It might not have been a nation in mourning this morning if one of those goes in.

[nyujeelandsaram]

I think Suwon were overtaken as most hated team in the league this year by FC Seould.

Suwon gets dissed due to more money than most/all? other teams, (occasional) success and large supporters section bused in from Seoul

I was cursing when the ball hit the posts from Pohang but I heard it was because the Suwon groundskeeper narrowed the goals slightly knowing that Suwon couldn't hope to score and Lee Woon-jae is too old, fat and slow to dive very far for penalties.

[toohyper]

Can someone tell me the attendances for the 2nd leg match? Looks like a pretty good crowd...bout 25,000.

[Holyjoe]

toohyper said:

Can someone tell me the attendances for the 2nd leg match? Looks like a pretty good crowd...bout 25,000.

36,490.

I've just finished watching the highlights of both legs on SBS Sports, and I just remembered that whole incident with Choi Soon-ho going nuts and trying to get the Pohang players off the pitch.
It looked from the TV as though he was making a protest about the Suwon team (grabbing sheets of paper with team lines on it and waving them about madly in the fourth official's face), and I think it was just after Kim Dong-hyun (27) came on. The official K-League website said that Kim Dong-hyun (25) was one of the substitutes, which would have been really strange as 25 hasn't featured in any matches at all this season and I figured it was a mistake.
I'm assuming he was protesting about that, but I can only guess it was a mistake on the part of the folk who run the K-League website as it's unlikely Mrs. Cha would have chosen 25 instead of 27.

Unless he was complaining about something else...

[Holyjoe]

Joongang Daily report on the final:

Suwon nets 3rd K-League title

joongangdaily.joins.com/200412/13/200412132141207639900091009101.html

World Cup star is penalty kick hero once again


December 14, 2004 ¤Ñ The Suwon Samsung Bluewings were crowned 2004 K-League pro-soccer champions on Sunday, after edging the Pohang Steelers in a pulsating encounter decided on penalty kicks.
The vocal crowd of 36,000 who witnessed the second leg of the championship final at Suwon World Cup Stadium were treated to a dandy match, as the two sides alternated conservative defense with bursts of aggressive football.
The teams played a total of 210 tense minutes, including 90 in the first leg in Pohang, without a goal. In the penalty kick phase, it was left to Korea's hero from the 2002 World Cup, Suwon keeper Lee Woon-jae, to seal victory by stopping his Pohang counterpart Kim Byung-ji's attempt from the spot.
Suwon was a continuous threat throughout the game. The Brazilian duo of Nadson and Marcel on attack and midfielder Kim Doo-hyun charged the Pohang defense like wild bulls, but could not break the deadlock.
Pohang had three shots of its own bounce off the goalposts. In the 28th minute, Lee Min-sung unleashed a mid-range rocket as the ball popped out of a jam in the box, only to find the right post.
In the 14th minute of the second half, Pohang forward Conan squeezed the ball between two Suwon players and let loose a howler that again found nothing but post.
Kim Doo-hyun's industrious mid-ranger in the 38th minute and Kim Dae-eui's cross slide from Kim Doo-hyun three minutes into the second half were both turned back by the Steelers' keeper.
In the penalty shootout, the first three shooters from Suwon found the back of the net, with Pohang keeping pace until Lee Min-sung gaffed first, clanging his attempt off the bar for a 3-2 Samsung lead.
Steelers' goalkeeper Kim Byung-ji pulled one back for Pohang, punching away Kim Jin-woo's low shot, before Pohang's Petreski replied from the spot. Suwon's Zoran Urumov blasted home his attempt, setting up a do-or-die situation between the two keepers. Kim Byung-ji's low shot to the right was parried by the Suwon keeper, handing his team the championship.
It is the third championship for Suwon, winners in 1998 and 1999, and is an indication of the venerable leadership of their skipper, Cha Bum-kun, who joined the team this year.
Pohang Steelers coach Choi Soon-ho, who already announced his retirement, missed his last chance to hoist another championship trophy.
Cha laughed and cried as he held the trophy like a child. "I've never cried after a victory before," said the former soccer star. "No one can imagine how happy I am. This is the first championship title for me since I started coaching pro soccer in 1991."
Things were more reserved in the losing side's locker room. "There is a feeling of remorse, but the players did their best and followed our game plan," Choi said. "It is a cruel way to end the game with a penalty shootout."

You don't hear the word "dandy" used much these days in football match reports (except for talking about the "dandy Dons" of course ... it should be used more often

[nyujeelandsaram]

Yeah he was complaining about the wrong shirt numbers. My wife was listening to the commentators explaining it. He was threatening to refuse to play I htink until the ref started hinting that he'll call the game off and award it to Suwon.

Pohang's coach was just playing silly buggers to put Suwon off their game I suppose.

[Holyjoe]

Championship squad video