Seoul: Coach Choi Yong-soo insists former finalists FC Seoul must quickly forget about Tuesday’s emphatic 7-0 win over Vietnam’s Hanoi T&T in the AFC Champions League play-offs with a re-match with China’s Guangzhou Evergrande already looming in the group stage next week.
Striker Jung Jo-gook scored twice while the impressive Yun Il-lok, Everton Santos, Sergio Escudero, Lee Seok-hyun and captain Koh Myong-jin were all on target at Seoul World Cup Stadium as FC Seoul comfortably secured a third consecutive appearance in the group stage having also reached the semi-finals last year.
But FC Seoul, who do not begin the new K League Classic season until the start of March, must now turn their attentions to next week’s trip to Tianhe Sports Center Stadium next Wednesday for their Group H opener against the side they lost the 2013 final to on away goals having drawn the second leg 1-1 in China.
“We prepared really hard at the winter camp and it paid off,” said FC Seoul coach Choi, who also saw his side draw the first leg of the 2013 AFC Champions League final 2-2 at home.
“The important thing is we have to forget about the match today and we need to prepare for the next game.
“We have an away match against Guangzhou and I know they are really strong team. They have a strong squad, however, in football, we don’t know anything until the final whistle.”
Vietnamese league runners-up Hanoi had beaten Indonesia’s Persib Bandung 4-0 in last week’s second preliminary round, but Phan Thanh Hung’s side found the gulf in class too much having reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup last year.
“FC Seoul is a strong team. I want to say congratulations and also good luck in the group stage,” said Hanoi coach Thanh Hung.
“The atmosphere in Seoul was really good today and Seoul performed really well.
“The weather today was really cold and it made it difficult for us to perform well. Also a lack of experience in the ACL was another difficult factor.
“From the experience today, we hope to play well when we have another chance to play in this tournament.”
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