Jeonbuk to meet Al Ain in Asian final

SEOUL — Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors stormed into the AFC Champions League final with a 5-3 aggregate victory over FC Seoul despite losing the all-Korean semifinal’s second leg 2-1 here Wednesday. After Jeonbuk had dominated the first leg 4-1, Brazilian marksman Adriano gave the home side hope when he slotted a record-equaling 13th goal of the tournament in the first half. But Jeonbuk’s Ricardo Lopes doused any hopes of a comeback by equalizing on 59 minutes, before Seoul’s Ko Kwang-min grabbed a consolation goal for Seoul in injury time. Jeonbuk, the 2006 champion, now goes into a blockbuster two-legged final next month against fellow former winner Al Ain and its feted playmaker Omar Abdulrahman. The K-League leaders also reach their third Asian final despite a domestic scandal. They were deducted nine points and fined after one of their scouts was convicted of bribing referees. FC Seoul’s Adriano was in the thick of it during an electric first half in front of a noisy crowd as the hosts pressed for the goals they needed to overturn their first-leg deficit. The Brazilian shot just wide on 16 minutes and headed off-target eight minutes later. Elsewhere, Jeonbuk midfielder Kim Bo-kyung was bloodied by a flailing elbow before playing on with a bandaged head. It was Adriano who lifted the home side’s hopes when he charged on to Kim Chi-woo’s cutback to put Seoul 1-0 up on 38 minutes with his 13th goal, equalling the 2013 record of Guangzhou Evergrande’s Muriqui. A shock comeback was on the cards and FC Seoul came close to a second goal from a breakaway seven minutes into the second half, but ex-Arsenal forward Park Chu-young’s shot deflected wide. And Seoul regretted its miss when Lopes turned Kim Chi-woo and fired across the face of goal to make it 1-1 on the night and open up a yawning 5-2 aggregate lead. Veteran substitute Lee Dong-gook twice went close for Jeonbuk before Ko gave home fans something to cheer with a fierce drive two minutes into injury time. It sets up a home-and-away Asian final between two sides of similar pedigree after Al Ain, who ousted Qatar’s El Jaish Tuesday, won the inaugural edition in 2003 and was runner-up two years later. Modric to retire at Real Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric wants to play out the rest of his career with the Spanish giant after signing a new contract until 2020. Modric, 31, has become a fundamental part of the Real side, winning two Champions League titles, since his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012. My wish is to retire at Real Madrid and with this renewal I am closer to that goal,» Modric said on Wednesday. I want to thank the club and the president for having so much confidence in me. I am going to continue giving everything I have, working hard and I hope to have more success in front of me. Modric’s quality on the ball and work rate has converted the Croatian into a fans’ favorite at the Santiago Bernabeu in recent years. However, he had to overcome a difficult and trophyless first season in the Spanish capital before he established himself as a regular in the team. «I had confidence in myself from the start. I never doubted my qualities,» he added. And the former Tottenham Hotspur star insisted mental toughness is needed as much as ability to succeed at the richest club in the world. «To play at Real Madrid it is not enough to have football quality. It is very important to be strong mentality and never give up.