Why Seongnam Ilhwa will win the ACL final

Adelaide United’s Jason Spagnuolo is pushed from the ball by Byungkuk Cho of Seongnam Ilhwa. AAP Image/ Rob Hutchison

It’s about time Sasa Ognenovski received some international recognition. The towering Australian defender has been a colossus for South Korean side Seongnam Ilhwa this season, and his national team call-up was long overdue.

For now, Ognenovski’s attention is on Saturday’s AFC Champions League showdown at the National Stadium in Tokyo, where his Seongnam side take on Iranian underdogs Zob Ahan in the final.

Seongnam impressed in the group stage of this year’s competition, losing only once to Kawasaki Frontale en route to topping a group which also contained Melbourne Victory and Beijing Guoan.

Coach Shin Tae-Yong’s side were slightly less impressive in the knock-out rounds, scraping through 4-3 on aggregate against local rivals Suwon Bluewings in the quarter-finals, before seeing off Saudi side Al-Shabab on the away goals rule after both sides finished level at 4-4 in their two-legged semi-final tie.

Ognenovski may have received precious little support from his fellow defenders in those matches, but it’s up front where Seongnam can do plenty of damage, thanks largely to the form of Colombian attacking talent Mauricio Molina.

The Medellin-born menace has scored seven goals in just ten Champions League appearances this season, and his influence is all the more critical in Tokyo given that fellow front man Dzenan Radoncic is suspended.

Midfield anchorman Cheon Kwang-Jin is also suspended, but with the likes of Cho Dong-Geon still available and Ognenovski looking to anchor the defence, Seongnam will go into the match as favourites against the plucky Iranians from Esfahan.

Zob Ahan’s run to the final was based largely on an impregnable defence, with talismanic goalkeeper Shahab Gordan keeping an impressive seven clean sheets on the road to Kokuritsu.

The Iranians arrived early in Tokyo to familiarise themselves with the ground, and they will be hoping to go one better than local rivals Sepahan, who lost a classic two-legged final to Urawa Reds in 2007 when just under 60,000 fans turned Saitama Stadium into a cauldron of colour for the thrilling second leg.

Fortunately the Asian Football Confederation have finally seen the light and dispensed with the neutral final venue for next season onwards, although it appears the single-leg format will still be in place.

A decent crowd of more than 25,000 turned out to watch last year’s showpiece showdown in Tokyo, but it’s a shame South Korean and Iranian supporters are forced to travel so far to watch their teams in action.

Australian fans can watch a replay of the game on Fox Sports at 10pm on Saturday night, and here’s hoping Ognenovski impresses with another eye-catching performance.

He’s been one of the best performing overseas-based Australians this season, and the towering centre-back is a genuine candidate to be named in Holger Osieck’s Asian Cup squad – particularly with Urawa Reds youngster Matthew Spiranovic suffering an untimely recent injury.

It’s all eyes on Tokyo then, and the 2010 AFC Champions League final will be the culmination of another fascinating tournament.

Another clash of styles and cultures awaits in the centre of the modern metropolis, but I can’t look past Seongnam for the win, as they aim to continue East Asia’s recent dominance and make it two wins in a row for South Korean sides.