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Korean FA Cup Final

John Duerden reports from Seoul

Korean National Team Shirts From Korea

"It's a time for giving, a time for getting, a time for forgiving and for forgetting," crooned Cliff Richard in his Christmas hit "Mistletoe and Wine". The K-League 'big guns' gave Busan I'cons the chance to lift the 2004 Korean FA Cup on Christmas Day, as they forgot to take the competition seriously. The victory also gave Busan's dwindling band of loyal supporters the chance to forgive, if not forget, their team's uninspiring league campaign.

I'con boss Ian Porterfield has a fine cup pedigree as it was his goal that won the famous 1973 FA Cup final for Sunderland against the mighty Leeds United.

The Korean equivalent 31 years later may not have been as memorable, especially as K-League basement boys Bucheon were the opposition, but the Scot will not care as he was able to play the role of Santa Claus, giving the south coast team their first piece of silverware since they won the K-League in 1997.

It took Busan only six minutes to take the lead in the final, which was held in the southeastern city of Changwon, as Brazilian striker Adriano put the ball in the opposition net. It was a short-lived lead as only two minutes later, Bucheon were back on level terms as Byun Jae-sop equalized.

Such an exciting start seemed to defy the almost universal predictions of a dull final. The two teams had scored only forty goals between them in the regular season, chalking up twenty-five draws in the process. Unfortunately, the game resorted to type, as there were no more goals to be had in the following 112 minutes of time before the onset on penalties.

So, just as the K-League play-off final, the FA Cup was decided on penalties with the same shootout scoreline of 4-3. This time the hero wasn't Lee Woon-jae but his national understudy and rival, Busan's young keeper Kim Yong-dae, whose saves meant that the cup now resides in Korea's second city for the first time.

More importantly for the Asian Club Champions of 1985, the victory gives the I'cons a chance to again pit their wits in the Asian Champions League next season. In the group stage the Korean team will face Thailand's Krung Thai Bank, Binh Dinh of Vietnam and newly-crowned Indonesian champions, Persebaya Surabaya.

Busan's K-League rivals, Seongnam Ilhwa, comfortably disposed of Binh Dinh and Persebaya's Indonesian rivals Persik Kediri of Indonesia last season and Ian Porterfield will be confident that he will be able to make his mark on the continent.

Busan deserved to win the cup, disposing of new champions Suwon Bluewings, the 2003 cup winners, Chonbuk Motors and the team with the best overall record of 2004, Ulsan Horangi.

With the prize of Champions League football on offer it is baffling as to why most teams didn't seem too interested in the competition. Take Seongnam for example, the team had suffered the heartbreak of losing the 2004 Champions League final at home and finished nowhere in the league. The FA Cup gave coach Cha Kyung-bok a chance to salvage something from this season and challenge for the continental prize the next.

It was not to be as Seongnam crashed out at the first round as a virtual reserve side was well beaten 3-1 by K2 side Suwon City Hall. The 2003 K-League champions were not alone in suffering the ignominy of a first round defeat to lower league opposition as Pohang Steelers, Incheon United and Daegu also found their FA Cup campaigns over almost as soon as they had begun.

The KFA should bear some responsibility as the cup was squeezed onto the end of a season that started almost nine months ago. As a result perhaps it was no surprise that many clubs, like the governing body, treated the competition as an afterthought.

As the Busan players danced around the pitch in Changwon wearing Santa hats, another Cliff Richard song would have be apt - "Congratulations".

John Duerden

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