FIFA - The
right to be crowned continental champions will go on the line this
weekend in Tokyo with the 2010 AFC Champions League final featuring
contestants with vastly differing pedigree. Saturday’s meeting between Korea Republic’s Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Zob Ahan of Iran
is far from a David against Goliath match-up on the pitch, but it
certainly pits one of the traditional heavyweights of the Asian game
against a rising pretender.
Zob Ahan, who hail from Iran’s
second largest city, Esfahan, are featuring in only their second Asian
campaign. Seongnam, conversely, are one of Asia’s most accomplished
clubs having bagged two continental titles after prevailing in the 1995
Asian Club Championship and the 1996 Asian Super Cup.
This
campaign has seen the attack-minded Seongnam rack up 22 goals to top all
32 participating teams in the scoring stakes. Zob Ahan for their part
stunned the likes of Saudi high-flyers Al Hilal and defending champions
Pohang Steelers with their solid counter-attacking play.
Join FIFA.com as we take a closer look at the Asian showpiece where a berth to the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup awaits the victor.
The game
Seongnam-Zob Ahan, National Stadium, Tokyo, Saturday 13 November
The
checklist of Zob Ahan’s victims en route to the final reads like a
who’s who of Asian football. Firstly, big spending Uzbeks Bunyodkor and
two-time winners Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia were dispensed with in the
group stage. Then came a quarter-final win against title holders Pohang
and a last-four victory against east Asian aristocrats Al Hilal. Now Zob
Ahan are just 90 minutes from completing a fairytale run. The Iran
Pro League leaders will no doubt take confidence from their most recent
outing, a 1-0 win against Pas Hamadan, leaving them a point clear at
the summit ahead of Persepolis.
No Iranian side have tasted
continental success since 1993 when Pas Tehran lifted the Asian Club
Championship trophy. Sepahan came the closest three years ago only to
lose 3-1 on aggregate against Urawa Red Diamonds in the AFC Champions
League final. The Iranians have left no stone unturned in their
preparation, arriving five days early in the Japanese capital to help
with acclimatisation.
For Seongnam, there are even greater expectations to live up to. A victory on Saturday will see Korea Republic
retain the trophy and become the first country to have won the AFC
Champions League on three occasions since its inception in 2003.
The
K-League club have been free-scoring throughout the campaign including
firing three unanswered goals past 2008 champions Gamba Osaka in the
Round of 16. They will however be severely hampered by the loss of
first-choice striker Dzenan Radoncic due to suspension. Also serving
suspension is defensive midfielder Cheon Kwang-Jin, while left-back Hong
Chul has this week featured with the national side at the 2010 Asian
Games which is being played concurrently. Seongnam travel to Japan
having most recently featured in a 2-2 draw at Gyeongnam last Sunday, a
result which saw them finish fifth in the K-League.
Victory in
Tokyo would be a triumph for coach Shin Tae-Yong who served Seongnam
with distinction for many years as a player, including leading the team
to the Asian Club Championship in 1996. Should they beat Zob Ahan, the
former midfielder will become the first Korean to win the Asian title as
both a player and coach. His opposite number, Mansour Ebrahimzadeh, is
also no stranger to the big stage, having assisted Croatian head coach
Luka Bonacic with Sepahan who finished runners-up in 2007.
The players
With Radoncic ruled out, Seongnam's goalscoring burden will fall on the shoulders of Columbian striker Mauricio Molina,
who has netted seven times in ten appearances. Defending the Zob Ahan
net will be Shahab Gordan, who has showed impressive shot-stopping
abilities throughout the campaign leaking just five goals across 11
matches.
The number
3 -
A win will give Seongnam their third Asian title and also see them
become the third K-League side to win the AFC Champions League.
Do you know?
To
emulate their semi-final triumph over Al Shabab, Seongnam will wear new
kits in the final - yellow jerseys and red shorts that were first
introduced in the decisive second leg last month.
The quotes
"We
have a good chance of winning the title because our players are in the
right frame of mind and they are a tight-knit unit. There is a real team
spirit and a special bond within them," Zob Ahan coach Mansour Ebrahimzadeh.