Kim Dong-jin and Lee Ho Pair Up for UEFA Cup Final

Lee Ho and Kim Dong-jin, playing for Russian professional soccer team Zenit St. Petersburg, will participate in the UEFA Cup final.

Led by Dick Advocaat, former manager of the Korean national team, Zenit defeated Bayern Munich, a German team, 4-0 in the second semi-final game of UEFA Cup 2007-2008, held in the Petrovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg on Friday. The team is going to the UEFA Cup final for the first time since its launch, achieving a sweeping victory in the second game following a 1-1 draw in its first away game.

Zenit will play the final game against Glasgow Rangers, a Scottish team, on May 15.

UEFA Cup is a league for 2nd and 3rd ranking teams of each country. Though it is not as established as the Champions League, its fame is no less. Park Ji-sung of Manchester United recently grabbed the chance to play in the final of the Champions League. Now, Lee Ho and Kim Dong-jin will have the chance to take part in the UEFA Cup final.

In a victorious semi-final game, Lee Ho replaced another player at 43 minutes into the second half, but Kim Dong-jin never hit the turf because he was excluded from entry due to a knee injury. The team accomplished a perfect victory as Pavel Pogrebniak, Konstatin Zyryanov and Viktor Faitzulin notched four goals in relay.

yjongk@donga.com