FC Seoul coach Choi Yong Soo says he hopes Western Sydney Wanderers FC can go and complete the fairytale by winning the AFC Champions League.
The K-League club saw their hopes of making a second straight ACL decider dashed on Wednesday night as the Wanderers triumphed 2-0 at Parramatta Stadium.
Mateo Poljak’s third minute pile-driver sent the home side on their way and despite applying heavy pressure to the Wanderers’ goal, Seoul couldn’t find the breakthrough to swing the tie in their favour.
A powerful header from Shannon Cole midway through the second half then put the result beyond doubt and confirmed a final date with Saudi Arabian powerhouse Al Hilal.
“They are a very competitive team and they have a lot quality,” a disappointed Choi said of the Wanderers.
“Defensively and offensively they are very well organised.
“They are now in the final so I hope they will be champions.”
Knowing a score-draw would be enough to get them through, Seoul came with a game plan to hit the Wanderers on the break but Choi admitted Poljak’s early strike changed the game.
Despite just falling short of winning the ACL for a second straight year, the experienced coach is confident they will learn from the heart-break and come back stronger next year.
“We came here with a lot of difficulties and it was a very tough schedule in our domestic campaign,” Choi said.
“We were still very close to the title so because of this we are disappointed.
“But we enjoyed this competition and because of this result we can build up more and I think we have a bright future in front of us.”
