Jeonbuk Motors needed extra time to kill-off a resilient Adelaide United in the knockout round of 16 match of the AFC Champions League, with the Koreans running out 3-2 winners.
The visitors all but secured the win in 90 minutes but a goal in the fourth minute of injury time from Sergio van Dijk levelled the scores sending the match into extra time at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide.
United twice equalised in the second half after a master class performance from Jeonbuk Motors’ little Brazilian Eninho.
Eninho found the back of the net either side of half time before Robbie Cornthwaite equalised for the Reds.
The classy playmaker again gave the Greens the lead before a dramatic finish saw the match head into extra time.
United welcomed back into the squad Daniel Mullen at right back at the expense of the unlucky Michael Marrone and Lucas Pantelis who came into the left side of midfield for the suspended Matthew Leckie.
Adam Griffiths kept his place in the middle of the park with Fabian Barbiero replacing Paul Reid who didn’t recover from a strained aductor.
Jeobuk Motors left star striker Lee Dong Gook on the bench with an injury cloud over the K-League top scorer after an ankle injury sustained in the Greens last domestic match.
While both sides took time to get to know each other, United’s usual suspects Marcos Flores and Travis Dodd were getting plenty of the ball, with the Argentine maestro orchestrating the Reds play in the front third.
United had a couple of early chances out wide with Dodd on the right, and Pantelis and Cassio on the left crossing the ball in, only for the solid defence of Jeonbuk to thwart any attack.
As the half progressed, Choi Taeuk became more involved and caused United plenty of problems getting forward on the left.
On more than one occasion Taeuk got in behind Mullen and dragged central defender Cornthwaite from the heart of defence.
The speedster showcased his fancy footwork and confidence with the ball bringing teammates into the match.
With 25 minutes gone he was again found in plenty of space on the left and collected the ball from 30 metres out before taking a touch and driving his shot low and hard with Eugene Galekovic equal to the task.
Minutes later, United almost grabbed the lead when a Dodd cross was cleared but ricocheted into the path of Pantelis who took aim from the edge of the area.
His 20-metre shot was directed straight at Greens’ keeper Kwoun Suntae who enjoyed his first save of the match.
The Reds found it hard work keeping up with the pace of the lightning quick Koreans and Eninho was a handful also, moments before he opened the scoring.
In the 37th minute Jeonbuk broke from a United corner and Eninho turned two Reds players inside out before embarking on a 60-metre run.
He fed the ball out wide on the left to danger man Taeuk, who baulked his defender before his shot was blocked.
The ball sat up nicely for Sim Wooyeon and the centre forward nodded it down for Eninho, who finished the move he started with an easy side foot from 10 metres.
On the stroke of half time Dodd should have brought United level but squandered a guilt edged chance from six metres.
Cassio delivered an inviting cross for Flores who couldn’t get his head on the ball before it fell to Dodd who failed to connect.
Mullen was next to go close for United with the Reds responding immediately after the break.
After beating two defenders he smashed in a cross low and hard only to watch it elude his teammates in the area.
From the ensuing play Cassio whipped in a cross and found the full-back at the back post. Mullen took a touch before smashing a half volley into the body of Suntae who was again equal to the task.
United kept pressuring the Jeonbuk defence but continued to look vulnerable on the counter with the Greens breaking with pace from defence.
The Reds rang in the changes with young striker Francesco Monterosso and Marrone coming on at the expense of Barbiero and Pantelis.
United clawed its way back into the match in the 78th minute when Cornthwaite powered a header home from a Cassio corner.
The towering centre back replicating his effort against Sanfrecce Hiroshima on match day three to bring United level in the same fashion.
With six minutes remaining the Greens turned up the tempo and only a brilliant reflex save from Galekovic kept the scores level.
Subsitute Kruno Lovrek’s shot from 12 metres almost wrong-footed the keeper after taking a deflection on the way.
Eninho turned the match on its head and silenced the home ground with four minutes to go when he collected his second goal.
The little Brazilian picked up a weak clearance from the hosts and closed in on goal without much attention before firing a 20-metre shot to the bottom corner, leaving Galekovic with no chance.
With 94 minutes on the clock and Jeonbuk all but home and hosed, United again equalised in the most dramatic circumstances.
Again, a dead ball delivery from Cassio caused the Koreans all sorts of problems.
With seconds remaining, Galekovic threw himself into attack in attempt to upset the Greens and it appeared to have worked.
His opposite number Suntae struggled with the free kick and punched it out over the by line.
From the resulting corner, the keeper again was caught flapping in mid air with Sergio van Dijk bundling the ball over the line after hitting the deck, sending the match into extra time with virtually the last kick.
Within the first minute of extra time, captain Dodd lead by example rifling a 20-metre bullet inches over the bar.
Cassio rattled the woodwork minutes later, after substitute Adam Hughes was brought down on the edge of the area.
The pocket rocket’s curling 20 metre free kick refused to dip enough to sneak in, crashing against the top of Suntae’s bar.
Dong-Gook nearly put Jeonbuk back in front when his header came back out off the underside of the bar, but it mattered little when seconds later his next header beat Galekovic at the near post.
Park Wonjae whipped in a delightful ball to the far post where the striker ghosted and put the Greens back in front after and 114 minutes of play and only six minutes to go.
On the stroke of full time van Dijk saw his glancing header whizz past the post before Cassio was expelled for a second bookable offence.
