Seongnam Draw With Sevilla
By Kim Jae-won
Staff Reporter
Seongnam Chunma played out a scoreless draw with FC Sevilla in a Peace Cup qualifier in Seville, Spain, Monday (KST).
Chunma midfielder Lee Ho fired a kick from the arc in the 15th minute, but it hit the post. The Spanish club also had two critical chances that hit the woodwork.
Seongnam goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryung stood tall against Sevilla's offensive threats, including those posed by winger Diego Capel.
Sevilla, which ranked third in the Spanish league last season, was eliminated from the event as they lost to Juventus 2-1 on the opening day, Saturday.
``The team ran, worked hard, they tried and created opportunities, but there was a lack of freshness and conditions did not help,'' Sevilla manager Manolo Jimenez told the AFP.
Seongnam will face Juventus on Wednesday. The K-League outfit can reach the semifinals if they win over the Italian club.
Real Madrid drew 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad in Madrid. Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal failed to make an impact in his home debut match with the Spanish club.
Real captain and defender Raul Albiol scored the first goal in the 55th from new teammate Karim Benzema's pass. Benzema joined Madrid from French club Olympique Lyon this month.
Al-Ittihad striker Hicham Aboucherouane equalized for the club in the 64th, with a header into the top corner of the net.
Twelve teams from around the globe are taking part in the preseason tournament, the fourth time it has been staged.
There are four groups with three teams in each. The top team in each group goes through to the semifinals, which will be played on July 31. The final takes place two days later in Seville.
Lyon won the last event, which was held in South Korea in 2007.