Sydney FC are through to the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Champions League Two after a 3-2 second-leg win over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Thursday night – a result that confirmed a 5-2 aggregate win to the A-Leagues side in the quarter-final tie.
Sydney came into the second leg of the AFC Champions League Two tie with a 2-0 aggregate lead but that lead vanished by half-time at Allianz Stadium, after Jeon Jin-woo scored twice before the break.
Jin-woo had a glorious chance to seal his hat-trick just seconds into the second half but Sydney FC keeper Harrison Devenish-Meares produced a miraculous save to keep his side in the contest, and lay the groundwork for a phenomenal Sydney surge, inspired by Brazilian superstar Douglas Costa.
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Costa played a significant role in goals to Alex Grant and Patryk Klimala as Sydney wrestled back the advantage in the two-legged tie. Then, after Sydney substitute Adrian Segecic won his side a late penalty, Costa stepped forward to bury the spot kick into the bottom-right corner and seal an impressive victory for the Isuzu UTE A-League side.
Sydney will now face Lion City Sailors in the semi-finals of the ACL Two after the Singaporean club’s 4-1 aggregate win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the quarters. It’s the first time Sydney FC have reached the semi-finals of an Asian continental competition.
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Sydney FC came into the second leg with a two-goal advantage and threatened to put the tie out of sight within minutes of kick-off.
Patryk Klimala almost found the bottom-right corner with a shot from a tight angle at the end of a rapid Sydney counter attack but a touch on the shot deflected the ball out for a corner, from which Sydney threatened again through Joe Lolley whose powerful shot from the edge of the area was tipped around the post by Jeonbuk keeper Kim Jeong-hoon.
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Minutes later, Klimala found the back of the net with what the Polish striker thought was his third goal of the two-legged contest – but a marginal offside call after a VAR check wiped Klimala’s name off the scoresheet as Sydney’s aggregate lead was reduced back to two goals.
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After Sydney’s early barrage of pressure, the visitors grew into the contest and began to threaten Sydney’s clean sheet at Allianz Stadium.
Jeonbuk had two quick-fire chances as the match clock ticked past 30 minutes, and they both came in the form of close-range headers.
Park Jae-yong’s attempt from a corner flashed wide and just minutes later, a cross from the right wing was met by Jeon Jin-woo for Jeobuk’s first attempt on target, which was well saved by Harrison Devenish-Meares.
But there was nothing the Sydney keeper could do about Jin-woo’s next attempt on goal. Having received a cut-back cross near the penalty spot, the Jeonbuk winger buried a first-time strike into the top-right corner to cut Sydney’s advantage in half.
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Jeonbuk then began to hammer at Sydney’s door in search of a second goal and in first-half stoppage time, Jae-yong went close once again with a headed effort but Devenish-Meares produced an athletic save.
Soon after it was Nana Boateng threatening Sydney’s goal but a fingertip intervention from the Sky Blues keeper repelled the ball off the post and out for a corner.
From the resulting dead ball, Jin-woo pounced on a spillage from Devenish-Meares after Boateng’s volleyed effort to convert from the goal line and bring Jeonbuk back on level terms in the tie.
Both Boateng and Jin-woo were given too much time and space to attack from the corner routine as several Sydney defenders stood and watched their aggregate lead go up in smoke.
Sydney FC restarted play for the second half but coughed up possession within seconds, leading to a major opportunity for Jin-woo to complete his hat-trick and put Jeonbuk on top in the tie.
Having turned over possession just inside their attacking half, Jeonbuk launched a rapid counter attack which ended at the feet of Jin-woo. His shot from the edge of the area was well-saved by Devenish-Meares, who sent the ball off target with an outstretched leg.
Douglas Costa was quiet through the first half but 10 minutes after the restart, Sydney’s Brazilian superstar did his best to inspire the hosts back into the lead with a dipping strike from range.
The ball looked destined for the bottom-left corner but Jeong-hoon pushed the effort wide.
Jeonbuk had dominated for large portions of Thursday’s quarter-final but just before the hour mark, the hosts swung momentum back in their favour.
Alex Grant found himself in the right place at the right time to score his first Sydney FC goal at the most crucial of times; the centre-back’s goal came after a run to the back post from Rhyan Grant to meet Costa’s free-kick delivery, and a fortuitous deflection off Rhyan Grant to find his namesake streaming into the six-yard box.
Hearts were in mouths for Sydney FC’s players, coaches and fans when Jeonbuk substitute Ahn Hyeon-beom found the back of the net with what would have been the goal to put the Korean giants back on top in the tie – but a marginal offside call denied the visitors a crucial response.
Then came a moment of sheer brilliance from Costa, as Sydney restored the two-goal aggregate lead they brought into the second leg.
Having collected the ball on the left wing, Costa beat one defender with a neat piece of footwork, and lured three more defenders into his path before a no-look, outside of the foot pass set Jordan Courtney-Perkins steaming into free space in the box.
Courtney-Perkins cut the ball back to a dangerous area where Klimala was lurking; the Sydney striker’s first touch was magnificent to open up space for Klimala to bury the ball into the bottom-right corner.
Having wrestled back the ascendancy in the two-legged tie, Sydney put the result beyond doubt when a foul from Boateng on substitute Adrian Segecic in the box led to a penalty awarded to the Sky Blues.
Douglas Costa stepped up and buried the ball into the bottom-right corner to send Sydney into the semi-finals.
