They were swept away, literally.

On the 26th (Korea time), Gwangju finished their journey with a 0-7 defeat to Al Hilal in the quarterfinals of the 2024-2025 season Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, allowing 3 goals in the first half alone.

It was a game where the weight class difference was clearly felt. Al Hilal, where Neymar played, is considered the top club in the wealthiest Saudi league. At the time Neymar left, the most expensive player at Al Hilal was Kalidou Koulibaly (34), who played at Napoli until 2022 and is known as 'Kim Min-jae's senior.'

When Koulibaly left for Chelsea, Kim Min-jae, who had transferred from Fenerbahçe, filled the vacancy. Kim Min-jae, who led Napoli to its first Serie A title in 33 years, found success on the world stage. Koulibaly transferred to Al Hilal in 2023 and is currently earning a weekly wage of £559,526 (about 1 billion won).

Koulibaly is the fifth highest-paid player in the world. His weekly wage exceeds that of Gwangju's highest domestic salary. Koulibaly's annual salary is £29,095,364 (about 5.5 billion won). Gwangju had a total expenditure of 9.66198 billion won for the 2024 season.

The incredible calculation shows that selling just one Koulibaly could buy about six teams like Gwangju. This weight class difference was clearly seen on the pitch. As expected, the difference in strength was too severe. Gwangju collapsed just six minutes into the match, unable to overcome the basic physical weight difference. The starting point was height. Al Dawsari's corner kick was headed in by Milinkovic-Savic waiting at the near post, giving a real sense of the 'weight class difference.'

This was not the end. Gwangju wobbled under the relentless onslaught of the opponent. In the 8th minute of the first half, a sharp cross from Malko brushed past Mitrovic's forehead but fortunately missed the goal. Gwangju did not remain idle either. Immediately countering, Hayes won the ball in the opponent's territory and quickly passed it to Asani. Asani faced the opposing goalkeeper in a one-on-one but succumbed to Bounou's sharp judgment and save.

After Asani's shot went wide, a crisis followed the missed opportunity. Al Dawsari, Mitrovic, and Savic all aimed for Gwangju's goal, but Kim Kyung-min cleared them all with his fingertips. However, in the 25th minute of the first half, Al Hilal, who persistently broke through Gwangju's left side, finally scored another goal. Starting from Savic's pass, Malcom's cross set up Leonardo's shot, which led to an additional goal.

Having gained momentum, Al Hilal shattered Gwangju's defense in the 33rd minute with a counterattack. Al Dawsari, receiving Leonardo's through pass, outpaced the defense. He managed to evade Kim Kyung-min and notched the third goal, making it three goals in the first half.

After allowing three goals in the first half, Gwangju remained unfocused in the second half. In the 9th minute of the second half, Savic's sharp cross from the left side was precisely headed in by Mitrovic, bringing the score to 0-4 in an instant. Coach Lee Jeong-hyo and the Gwangju players appeared momentarily dazed.

With the game effectively over, Malcom netted another goal in the 34th minute, making the score 0-5. In the closing moments, they conceded goals to substitutes Nasser Al Dawsari and Abdullah Al Hamdan, widening the score gap to 7 goals. Facing the opponent's aggressive onslaught, Gwangju conceded 4 goals in the second half alone, finishing their ACLE journey this season with a disheartening 0-7 loss, allowing 3 goals in the first half and 4 in the second.

While a defeat is a defeat, Al Hilal did not show a gracious demeanor as victors. Coach Jorge Jesus of Al Hilal refused to shake hands with Lee Jeong-hyo, who approached him after the match seeking a handshake, wearing a contemptuous expression after the 0-7 loss. He gestured as if to say 'talk nonsense' with his hand and mouth, turning away from Lee Jeong-hyo's offered handshake.

This behavior mocked Coach Lee Jeong-hyo, who provoked Al Hilal in pre-match interviews, stating he would confront them. It was not an appropriate response to extend a courteous handshake to Lee Jeong-hyo, especially after securing a significant victory. Instead of maintaining dignity as the victor, it made him appear vulgar.

In this situation, Jesus noted in an interview, "It’s not that the opponent was weak; it was us who played excellently and made it easy. We haven't achieved anything yet. We need to focus on recovery for the next match," adding, "From this result, the gap may seem large, but Gwangju is by no means a weak team. They are a strong team that previously defeated Yokohama 7-0." Finally, Coach Jesus mentioned, "We continue to pay the price of 'success.' In a situation where victory has become an obligation, we have always had to endure pressure."

[OSEN]