By Bryan Kay and Yoon Chul
Staff Reporters
Ulsan Tigers claimed the scalp of reigning champion Pohang Steelers in a penalty shootout victory in the first K-League playoff of the postseason Saturday.
The game went to extra time after the game finished in a 0-0 draw after the regular 90 minutes and the extra 30 minutes failed to produce another goal.
But the Tigers players who walked the gauntlet to take the dreaded spot kicks held their nerve to win 4-2 and see their team through to the next round, where they will meet Jeonbuk Motors, winners in the other playoff against Seongnam Chunma Sunday.
Kim Seung-gyu, a substitute for goalie Kim Young-kwang in the 29th minute of extra game, was the hero as he saved the first penalty from Noh Byung-joon and then the second from Kim Gwang-seok in his debut match.
``As I knew the direction of the shooting, I moved as soon as the kicker had a shot,'' Kim Seung-gyu said after the match.
``While we have information about Pohang's kickers, Steelers didn't have any information about our new goalkeeper. It was also one of our advantages,'' Tigers' manager Kim Jung-nam said.
In Sunday's game, Jeonbuk fell behind to a strike from Seongnam's Brazilian forward Dudu in the 29th minute.
But the reply was almost instant. Jeonbuk midfielder Choi Tae-Uk, just a minute later, pounced on a loose ball inside the area and drove the ball home for the equalizer.
There were chances at both ends as the game progressed, but neither team was able to make the breakthrough, and, like Saturday's encounter, the game headed into extra time.
This time, though, there was to be no penalty kicks. And it was another Brazilian, Luiz, who grabbed the goal that mattered for Jeonbuk. He latched on to a pass just inside the penalty area, and, with a defender at his side, drove the ball across the keeper from the left-hand side.
That set up the head-to-head with Ulsan Tigers. The two meet on Wednesday for the right to play FC Seoul in the semifinal.