Agencies
Al Ain will face Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the Asian Champions League final next month after the South Korean side eliminated domestic rivals FC Seoul 5-3 on aggregate on Wednesday.
Having dominated the first leg 4-1, Jeonbuk were all but assured of a place in the showpiece, and so it proved despite a 2-1 defeat in the return fixture.
Brazilian forward Adriano handed Seoul the lead on the day, and a glimmer of hope for the tie, when he opened the scoring in the first half for a record-equalling 13th goal of the tournament.
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But Jeonbuk’s Ricardo Lopes doused any hopes of a comeback by equalising on 59 minutes, before Seoul’s Ko Kwang-Min grabbed a consolation goal for Seoul in injury time.
Jeonbuk, the 2006 champions, will face the UAE’s Al Ain, champions in 2003, in a two-legged final for the right to be crowned the champions of Asia.
The first leg is scheduled for Saturday, November 19 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Korea, with the return match a week later at Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
Al Ain sealed their place in their third Champions League final on Tuesday evening with a 2-2 draw at Qatar's El Jaish, having won the first leg 3-1 at home.
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