South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai strolled into the Asian Champions League final with a 2-0 win against Uzbekistan visitor Bunyodkor in the second leg of the semifinals on Wednesday to take the tie 5-1 on aggregate.
When Kim Shin-wook broke the deadlock at Ulsan World Cup Stadium, shooting home from close range eight minutes into the second half, Ulsan's first ever appearance in the final was never in doubt.
Lee Keun-ho added a second with 15 minutes remaining.
''I am satisfied with the result,'' Ulsan coach Kim Ho-gon said. ''After winning the first leg, we wanted no surprises in the second and we did what we set out to do.
''The players were not complacent and demonstrated their desire to get to the final. It is not easy traveling around Asia and playing in the K-League at the same time. I want to thank my players for their efforts. Now it is time to think about the final.''
Ulsan will host the final on Nov. 10 against either Al Ittihad or Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia and has the chance to record Korea's 10th Asian championship win
Bunyodkor, also searching to progress past the semifinals for the first time, made much of the early running, testing the goalkeeper frequently.
As the half progressed, Ulsan started to take control and went close to opening the scoring, but not until it fell to Kim after 54 minutes.
After Rafinha's initial shot was saved by Ignatiy Nesterov, Kim shot home the rebound.
Ulsan sealed the win when Lee, from the edge of the area, curled a half volley into the far corner of the net.
Bunyodkor coach Mirdjalal Kasimov had no complaints.
''We met a strong team,'' he said. ''We had some chances early in the game but didn't take them. Ulsan had some good chances and they scored. It was a good game for the fans and I hope that Ulsan get a good result in the final.''
