Big names and standards fall as ACL ends 1st round
SEOUL, South Korea, MAY 17 (AP/UNB) - What the first round of the 2012 Asian Champions League lacked in quality, it made up for in unpredictability as three recent champions made early exits from the marquee continental club competition.
A number of the usual challengers from the eastern half of the draw were markedly weaker than in recent years, with 2011 runnerup and 2006 champion Jeonbuk Motors of South Korea eliminated after conceding 15 goals in six games.
Japan's Gamba Osaka, the 2008 winner, lost five games, while Pohang Steelers, the Korean team which lifted an unprecedented third Asian title in 2009, was eliminated in the last of the group matches.
The fall of the past champions was not a result of other teams catching up, however, as even clubs which did progress to the second round failed to impress. this possibility."
A number of the usual challengers from the eastern half of the draw were markedly weaker than in recent years, with 2011 runnerup and 2006 champion Jeonbuk Motors of South Korea eliminated after conceding 15 goals in six games.
Japan's Gamba Osaka, the 2008 winner, lost five games, while Pohang Steelers, the Korean team which lifted an unprecedented third Asian title in 2009, was eliminated in the last of the group matches.
The fall of the past champions was not a result of other teams catching up, however, as even clubs which did progress to the second round failed to impress. this possibility."
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