▲ Jeonbuk's Motta takes a shot (File photo)
Professional football club Jeonbuk Hyundai suffered its first defeat of the season in the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) after being denied twice by the goalpost.
Jeonbuk, led by manager Chung Jung-yong, suffered a 0-2 defeat in their away match against Vissel Kobe (Japan) in the second leg of the 2026-2027 ACLE league stage held today (October 14) at the Kobe Misaki Park Stadium in Japan.
Having made a fresh start by defeating Kashiwa Reysol (Japan) 2-1 in their opening home match on September 16, Jeonbuk failed to keep up the momentum.
Kobe secured its second consecutive victory following a 2-1 away win against Port FC (Thailand) in the first leg.
Lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Kobe, Jeonbuk deployed Motta at the forefront, with Italo, Kang Sang-yun, and Kim Seung-sub stationed in the second line.
The midfield was manned by Maeng Seong-woong and Kim Jin-gyu.
The back four featured Choi Woo-jin and Kim Tae-hyun on the flanks, with Kim Young-bin and Park Ji-su in the center, while Song Bum-keun wore the goalkeeper gloves.
Jeonbuk suffered an early blow in the 11th minute of the first half.
Kobe took the lead when Katsuya Nagato lifted a corner kick from the right, and Yuya Osako slotted it home with his right foot from the center of the penalty area.
In the 25th minute of the first half, Italo slipped a pass into the center of the penalty area for Kim Seung-sub, whose left-footed shot was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Trailing 0-1 at halftime, Jeonbuk substituted Lee Seung-woo for Kim Seung-sub at the start of the second half.
In the 7th minute of the second half, Kang Sang-yun fired a right-footed shot from the edge of the penalty arc that missed the target, but Jeonbuk's attack began to spring back to life.
In the 12th minute of the second half, Italo penetrated the left side of the opponent's penalty area and delivered a cross, which Motta met with a left-footed shot that hit the goalpost and bounced out.
A minute later, another cross from the left of the penalty area by Italo led to a header by Lee Seung-woo on the right side of the goal, but this time it went wide.
In the 21st minute of the second half, Choi Woo-jin's surprise left-footed mid-range shot struck the goalpost, leaving the team to lament their bad luck once again.
Unable to capitalize on their chances, Jeonbuk conceded an additional goal to Kobe.
In the 23rd minute of the second half, Yoshinori Muto delivered a pass to the center of the penalty area, and Yuya Kuwasaki fired a right-footed first-time shot past Jeonbuk's goalkeeper.
Afterwards, Jeonbuk brought on Lee Young-jae and Gamboa in place of Maeng Seong-woong and Kim Jin-gyu, followed by the substitution of Tiago for Italo in an all-out effort to turn things around, but ultimately failed to breach Kobe's goal.
(Photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League, Yonhap News)
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