"There was no dignity of the winner." Director Al Hilal refuses to ask for Lee Jung-hyo's handshake despite the great victory, ⇒ "Talk to me."

"There was no dignity of the winner." Director Al Hilal refuses to ask for Lee Jung-hyo's handshake despite the great victory, ⇒ "Talk to me."

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There was no miracle.

Gwangju ended its journey by losing 0-7 against Al Hilal in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACLE) in the 2024-2025 season at Jeddah King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Saudi Arabia on the 26th (Korea time), allowing three goals in the first half alone.

There was literally a gap in weight class in the game. Al Hilal, where Neymar played, is considered one of the most prestigious Saudi league in the world. At the time Neymar left, the most expensive player in Al Hilal was Kalidou Koulibaly (34). He was Kim Min-jae, a senior player who played for Napoli until 2022.

Koulibaly left for Chelsea and Kim Min-jae, who transferred from Fenerbahce, filled the vacancy. It was an opportunity for Kim Min-jae, who led Napoli to the first Serie A championship in 33 years, to succeed in the world class. Koulibaly moved to Al Hilal in 2023. Currently, Koulibaly is paid 559,526 pounds per week by Al Hilal alone.

Coulibaly is the fifth highest paid player in the world. His weekly salary is higher than the highest paid for a Korean player in Gwangju. His annual salary is 29.09 million pounds (55.12 billion won). Gwangju spent a total annual salary of 9,661.98 million won in the 2024 season.

There is a huge calculation that selling one Coulibaly can buy about six teams like Gwangju. This difference in weight class was shown at the stadium.

Ahead of the showdown, Gwangju went 4-4-2. Hayes and Choi Kyung-rok will work together in the front. Park Tae-joon and Lee Kang-hyun formed the midfield, while Gabriel and Asani were in charge of the side. Byun Jun-su and Min Sang-ki worked together as central defenders, while Kim Jin-ho and Cho Sung-kwon came out as left and right fullbacks. The starting goalkeeper is Kim Kyung-min.

On the other hand, Al Hilal, an ultra-luxury squad, played 4-2-3-1. Aleksandro Mitrovic, Malcolm, Marcus Leonardu, Selem Al-Dosari, Huven Neves, Sergei Milinkovich Savic, João Cancelo, Koulibaly, Hasan Al Tambacti, Henan Lodi, and Yashin Bunu violated Gwangju as the best players.

As expected, the power gap was too extreme. Gwangju collapsed in six minutes after the start of the game. They could not overcome the difference in basic weight class of players. The starting point was high. A corner kick from Al Dosari was turned by Milinkovic Sabic as if he had been waiting at a near post. He made me realize the word "weight class."

This wasn't the end. Gwangju was reeling from the opponent's wave of attacks in succession. In the first half, a sharp cross from the 8 powder beans brushed Mitrovic's forehead, but fortunately, it turned away from the post. Gwangju also did not stay still. Immediately on the counterattack, Hayes won the ball from the opponent's side and quickly stabbed Asani. Asani faced the opponent's goalkeeper one-on-one, but knelt down in front of Bunu's sharp judgment and good defense.

Asani's goal escaped, there was a crisis behind his chance. Al Dosari, Mitrovic and Savic aimed for the Gwangju goal one after another, but Kim Kyung-min cleared them all with his fingertips. However, Al Hilal, who was persistently penetrating Gwangju's left side in the 25th minute of the first half, eventually scored an additional goal. Starting with Savic's pass, Malcolm's cross and Leonardo's shot finished, leading to an additional goal.

Al Hilal's defense collapsed in the 33rd minute of the first half with a counterattack. Al Dosari, who received a through pass from Leonardo, dominated the defense with speed. The first half ended with three goals in the first half alone, as even Kim Kyung-min, who ran out, peeled off and scored the third goal. 안전놀이터

Gwangju, which gave up three goals in the first half alone, failed to regain its consciousness in the second half. In the ninth minute of the second half, Savic's sharp cross that penetrated the left side and Mitrovic scored with his head, widening the score to 0-4 in an instant. Coach Lee Jung-hyo and Gwangju players looked mesmerized instantly.