POHANG Steelers coach Sergio Farias is hoping his side's Asian Champions League success will act as a spur for improving the quality of football in South Korea in the future.
Goals from No Byung-jun and Kim Hyung-il secured a 2-1 win over Al Ittihad in today's final at the National Stadium in Tokyo and confirmed Pohang's status as Asia's most successful team on the continental stage.
The victory also seals a place at the FIFA Club World Cup next month and gives Pohang the chance to test themselves against quality opposition from elsewhere in the world.
And Farias hopes that other clubs in Korea will follow the example set by Pohang.
"I hope this triumph will trigger the players and clubs to open up their eyes to understand the necessity of improving their football," he said.
"A football club needs to use all their potential to win a title. When I first came to this team technically they were good but they were not as competitive.
"You have to have both technical and physical aspects but you have to achieve results, results are everything in football. We want to play football that is beautiful to watch but also achieve results."
Al Ittihad had gone into the game unbeaten in their previous matches in the Asian Champions League and started the stronger of the two sides.
It looked as though it would only be a matter of time before they opened the scoring, but Pohang struck through a set-piece against the run of play early in the second half before quickly adding a second that put the game beyond Al Ittihad.
"Al Ittihad are a great team but so are we," added Farias. "I think 2-1 was a fair result. Our main players were marked tightly but the scoreline reflected the quality of the match.
"Al Ittihad also had set-piece opportunities but they were not able to take advantage and score."
Al Ittihad boss Gabriel Calderon, meanwhile, drew upon the positives as the Saudi side were denied the opportunity to claim a third Asian Champions League title.
"I think it was a high quality game and our players should feel very proud," said the Argentinian.
"We didn't win but I was very satisfied with the quality of the play that my team demonstrated. Our players showed to the world the quality of Saudi Arabian football.
"It was positive that we could create so much. We've not always been at full strength but we've been able to perform well throughout the competition."
The victory also seals a place at the FIFA Club World Cup next month and gives Pohang the chance to test themselves against quality opposition from elsewhere in the world.
And Farias hopes that other clubs in Korea will follow the example set by Pohang.
"I hope this triumph will trigger the players and clubs to open up their eyes to understand the necessity of improving their football," he said.
"A football club needs to use all their potential to win a title. When I first came to this team technically they were good but they were not as competitive.
"You have to have both technical and physical aspects but you have to achieve results, results are everything in football. We want to play football that is beautiful to watch but also achieve results."
Al Ittihad had gone into the game unbeaten in their previous matches in the Asian Champions League and started the stronger of the two sides.
It looked as though it would only be a matter of time before they opened the scoring, but Pohang struck through a set-piece against the run of play early in the second half before quickly adding a second that put the game beyond Al Ittihad.
"Al Ittihad are a great team but so are we," added Farias. "I think 2-1 was a fair result. Our main players were marked tightly but the scoreline reflected the quality of the match.
"Al Ittihad also had set-piece opportunities but they were not able to take advantage and score."
Al Ittihad boss Gabriel Calderon, meanwhile, drew upon the positives as the Saudi side were denied the opportunity to claim a third Asian Champions League title.
"I think it was a high quality game and our players should feel very proud," said the Argentinian.
"We didn't win but I was very satisfied with the quality of the play that my team demonstrated. Our players showed to the world the quality of Saudi Arabian football.
"It was positive that we could create so much. We've not always been at full strength but we've been able to perform well throughout the competition."
Copyright (c) Press Association
Related Articles
Socceroos Abroad: ACL kicks off as European seasons start coming to a close
Sydney FC exit Asian Champions League after another loss
