Gwangju FC fall to Al Hilal in AFC Champions League Elite quarterfinals

Choi Kyoung-rok of Gwangju FC controls the ball against Al Hilal during the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. Yonhap

Gwangju FC have bowed out of the top Asian club football tournament following a big loss to a heavily favored Saudi Arabian foe.

Gwangju FC barely put up a fight in their 7-0 loss to Al Hilal in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday (local time).

Coached by Lee Jung-hyo, Gwangju FC were the lone remaining South Korean club in the top AFC tournament.

Al Hilal, one of the most decorated clubs in football going for their fifth AFC title, had seven different players find the back of the net.

They opened the scoring just six minutes into the match, when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic headed home a cross from Salem Al Dawsari.

Gwangju had a chance to draw even three minutes later when Jasir Asani took a left-footed attempt from the center of the box, but Al Hilal keeper Yassine Bounou was quick to block the low shot.

Gwangju's own custodian Kim Kyeong-min tried to keep his side in the game with saves from Al Dawsari, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Milinkovic-Savic in succession.

However, Al Hilal doubled their lead in the 25th minute as Malcom ran down the right flank and found Marcos Leonardo to make it 2-0.

Gwangju FC head coach Lee Jung-hyo, second from right, reacts to a play against Al Hilal during the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. Yonhap

Al Hilal went up 3-0 in the 33rd minute with Al Dawsari's shot from the center of the area.

Gwangju kept pushing for a goal after the restart, but Al Hilal moved further ahead in the 55th minute with Mitrovic.

Malcom, Nasser Al Dawsari and Abdullah Al Hamddan then finished off the rout with goals in the late minutes.

Al Hilal outshot Gwangju 11-2 in shots on target, and attempts were in favor of Al Hilal, 20-4.

Coach Lee Jung-hyo, who has been credited with getting the most out of his underdog side, urged his players to keep their heads high after the defeat.

"I hope my players will learn from today's match and keep trying even harder going forward," Lee said, according to a transcript of the press conference provided by the Korea Professional Football League. "If they keep putting in the work and have confidence in their abilities, then they should be able to get back on their feet. I'd like to tell them not to get discouraged by this result."

Gwangju FC players and coaches leave the field after losing to Al Hilal 7-0 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. Yonhap

Lee said he himself feels "extra motivated" after the big loss and added, "I'd like to take down one of these big clubs someday.

"In football, things don't often go according to your plans," the coach said. "Whether we lose by 7-0 or 10-0, as long as players have something to learn from that, it's good enough for me. I am just happy that we didn't have any injuries."

Park Tae-jun of Gwangju FC reacts to a play against Al Hilal during the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. Yonhap