Jeonbuk's Morais rues dropped points

Sydney: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC head coach Jose Morais was left frustrated by his side’s failure to pick up all three points in their 2020 AFC Champions League clash with Sydney FC on Wednesday, despite Han Kyo-won’s late equaliser earning his 10-man team a 2-2 draw.


Han’s 89th minute goal ensured the two-time champions picked up a point even though they had been reduced to 10 men with a little more than a quarter of an hour remaining in the game and after Adam Le Fondre had put Sydney in front from the penalty spot.

But with his side missing several chances in the second half following Luke Brattan’s own goal, which had given Jeonbuk the lead, Morais felt the champions of Korea Republic had squandered an opportunity to secure their first win of the campaign.

“I would say we had a lot of chances, we created chances in order to have a different result,” he said. “Football is about being effective in front of goal. We won the advantage and then we gave it away."

Group H - MD3: Sydney FC 2-2 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC

“Sydney is a team with good experience, attacking players with the cleverness to explore spaces behind the defence, behind the lines. We weren’t effective enough with our defending.

“We’re still trying to find the best shape and I think we’re going in a good direction. Offensively we were able to score two goals, but the result wasn’t really the one we wanted because we wanted more.

“We could have got more points today. We didn’t get them, but we have to continue to work and look forward to the next game but we don’t know when it will be.”

#ACL2020

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FULL-TIME | @SydneyFC 2-2 @Jeonbuk_hyundai

A share of the points for the teams after 10-men Jeonbuk found an equaliser at the very end. Honours even at Jubilee Stadium.#ACL2020

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07:25 - 4 Mar 2020

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Brattan’s own goal was cancelled out by a fine strike from Trent Buhagiar six minutes later but both Han and Cho Kyu-sung missed gilt-edged opportunities to restore Jeonbuk’s lead before Le Fondre converted from the spot after Choi was judged to have handled the ball inside the area.

Choi’s sending off put the Koreans under added pressure but, with a minute remaining, Han scored after Murilo’s shot came back off the post as Jeonbuk kept pushing until the end.

“I’m not surprised about the way we came back because this spirit is the spirit we have every day,” said Morais.

“This is the spirit that made us champions in Korea, because it’s not possible to be champions in Korea if you don’t have this spirit. It’s something natural.”