This photo shows Pohang Steelers head coach Park Tae-ha, provided by the Korea Professional Football League, Feb. 15. Yonhap
Gwangju FC will be the only Korean club competing in the knockout stage of the top continental football tournament following a loss by Pohang Steelers on Tuesday.
Pohang took a 5-2 loss against Johor Darul Ta'zim of Malaysia at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, in their final league-stage match of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite tournament.
Pohang finished the eight-match league phase with nine points from three wins and five losses. Regardless of results in matches by other clubs, Pohang will not qualify for the round of 16.
Revamping its signature club tournament, the AFC did away with a conventional group stage setup, and had teams in the East and West regions play eight matches each in the league phase, with the top eight clubs from each side advancing to the round of 16. Pohang are in ninth place and will not crack the top eight, regardless of results in remaining matches by other clubs on Wednesday.
Gwangju FC played Buriram United to a 2-2 draw on Tuesday, but they had already secured a knockout spot last Tuesday. They finished the league phase with 14 points on four wins, two draws and two losses.
One other K League side in the league phase, Ulsan HD FC, were eliminated last Wednesday. They recorded just one win against six losses and will play their meaningless final match Wednesday.
The two-legged round of 16 matches will be played in March. (Yonhap)
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