On some day, Ulsan was hit by the wind, and Pohang was robbed of the victory → They were eliminated from the round of 16...Shandong to abstain from shock → AFC decides to cancel all games
Feb 20, 2025
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Despite Shandong Taishan (China)'s unexpected withdrawal, the Pohang Steelers failed to catch the 'luck' of advancing to the round of 16. The league stage of the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) in the 2024-2025 season has come to an end.
There was a huge incident on the last day. The match between Ulsan HD and Shandong Taishan (China) was suddenly canceled. Ulsan was scheduled to play the final league phase match against Shandong at Munsu Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on the 19th.
However, just hours before kickoff, Shandong announced their withdrawal. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed on its website that Shandong has no intention of participating in the league stage with Ulsan in accordance with Article 5, Paragraph 2 of the ACLE tournament regulations. Accordingly, the club has decided to consider it abstained from ACLE'
Shandong was able to confirm its advance to the round of 16 just by drawing against Ulsan, which was already confirmed to be eliminated. But he blew the opportunity himself.
Shandong said in an official announcement that 'because of the serious physical discomfort of the team' as a result of the medical team's diagnosis, the players could not form a team to play in the match against Ulsan HD. We deeply regret this and apologize to the AFC, Ulsan football team, fans and communities.'"
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Recently, Shandong was controversial when home fans appeared in a photo of Chun Doo-hwan caricature the pain of the May 18 Democratic Movement toward away fans in a match against Gwangju at home. In the end, Shandong issued an apology statement saying 'The rude behavior of some spectators can never represent Shandong Taishan Football Club and Taishan fans. We deeply regret and apologize for the damage caused to the Gwangju club and its fans.'" There are also claims that they were concerned about the retaliation of Korean fans.
There was a prospect that Pohang would be able to take the position if Shandong's points were handled '0 points'. Pohang lost the final match against Johor Darlle Takjim (Malaysia) 2-5 on the 18th, falling from 8th to 9th, confirming its elimination. If Shandong disappears, Pohang will be ninth.
Moreover, there was no final reversal of Shanghai Port (China). In the final match against Yokohama Marinos (Japan) on the 19th, they lost 0-2. Pohang had nine points and Shanghai Port had eight.
However, the AFC decided to cancel all of Shandong's ACLE games this season. Therefore, there was no game in which Pohang defeated Shandong 4-2 at its home turf on November 6th last year. With three points stolen, Pohang's league phase points became six points.
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Tickets for the round of 16 were also maintained for three teams in Japan, two teams in China, and one each in South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. However, there was a change in the ranking. Kawasaki Frontale (15 points) was in second place, with Yokohama maintaining the top spot (18 points).
Johor and Gwangju FC (14 points or more) jumped one step by one to rank third and fourth. The two teams were ranked differently in terms of goal difference. Vissel Kobe (13 points), Buriram United (12 points), Shanghai Shenhua (10 points), and Shanghai Port (8 points) were ranked 5th to 8th.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
