FC Seoul are still contenders – Yun
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E-mail China.org.cn, February 21, 2014
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Korea Republic midfielder Yun Il-lok scored four goals last year as Korea Republic's FC Seoul reached the AFC Champions League final. |
Korea Republic midfielder Yun Il-lok has backed FC Seoul to recover from the off-season departures of influential former captain Ha Dae-sung and prolific striker Dejan Damjanovic as last year's finalists look to mount another successful AFC Champions League campaign this season.
Montenegro international Damjanovic scored seven goals last year as FC Seoul fell narrowly short of becoming the fourth Korean side in five years to win the continental title after losing an enthralling final on away goals to Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande following a 3-3 draw on aggregate.
Damjanovic, though, has since ended his six year spell in the Korean capital and joined Jiangsu Sainty while Ha has also made the switch to China having signed for Beijing Guoan, although the off-season arrivals of Spanish defender Osmar Barba from Thailand's Buriram United and Brazilian striker Rafael Costa have gone someway to offset the departures.
"Ha and Dejan are big losses for the team, but the new Spanish defender is a good player and FC Seoul are still strong as a team and it does not matter so much about the specific players," said 21-year-old Yun.
"FC Seoul will always be a candidate for the K-League title and this year is no different, but the team needs to work more to be able to win it.
"I remember playing against Osmar when he was the centre-back of Buriram. As a defender I remember his passing to the midfield and forwards was very good."
Yun enjoyed a breakout year for FC Seoul last season following his switch from Gyeongnam, and having also made his international debut in 2013, the midfielder is on the fringes of the Korea squad ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
He scored four goals for FC Seoul in the AFC Champions League last season, while also helping the capital city club earn a return to the continental competition with a fourth place domestic finish.
And with the group stage of the AFC Champions League beginning next week, FC Seoul will begin this year's campaign against J.League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima on Tuesday, with Ha's Beijing and Australia's Central Coast Mariners also drawn in Group F.
"We conceded too many goals at home to Guangzhou in the final and that was very disappointing at the time, but we have learnt from our experience, and if the similar chance appears again this year, we feel we will be able to do better," added Yun, who helped Korea reach the semi-finals of the AFC U-22 Championship earlier this year.
"The major difference between the K-League and the AFC Champions League is confidence. It was my first time playing in the AFC Champions League last year so I gradually gained confidence in those matches."
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