By Bryan Kay
Staff Reporter
Pohang Steelers and Gyeongnam FC both sealed places in the Korean FA Cup final in a thrilling day of action at Jeju Stadium Thursday.
In an all K-League battle in the afternoon, the Steelers went through with a narrow 2-0 win over Daegu FC.
Earlier, Gyeongnam hit Goyang KB with five goals without reply.
The Steelers had been looking to make amends after losing at the final hurdle last year.
But Daegu was in no mood for sympathy and was narrowly thwarted on a number of occasions as they bore down on the Steelers goal.
In an entertaining, if at times scrappy, opening period, the Steelers just edged the contest, scoring from a penalty just a couple of minutes before the half-time whistle.
It was Hwang Jae-won who stepped up to take the spot kick and, with a cool head, casually slotted the ball into the left-hand corner of the net, sending the keeper the wrong way.
The Steelers also hit the post ― with Daegu keeper Back Min-chul well beaten ― and had a goal disallowed in the first half.
The Steelers' own keeper Kim Jee-hyuk had to be alert on a number of occasions as Daegu threatened with a couple of spectacular efforts, but the wily shot-stopper was equal to them, diving low at least three times to save when it looked like his net was about to be breached.
In the second half, Lee Kwang-jai effectively ended the game as a contest with a header from the edge of the Daegu penalty box, nudging a cross over the stranded Daegu keeper.
Gyeongnam FC thrashed lower league side Goyang 5-0 in a mid-morning encounter.
Kim Dong-chan was the hero for the K-League cracks as he hit home a quartet of strikes, two in the first half and another double in the second.
Kim Jong-hoon got the match's other goal as the Goyang players were completely outclassed by their opponents.
Last year, Chunnam Dragons won the cup for the second year in succession after a 6-3 aggregate victory over the Steelers.