Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors were the runaway champion as the 2014 K League Classic football season ended last weekend with some late drama.

The 12 clubs each played 33 matches before they were divided into upper and lower tiers. They played five more matches within their group, and Jeonbuk clinched their championship on Nov. 8, with three matches remaining on the schedule.

Jeonbuk finished with 81 points on 24 wins, nine draws and five losses, a whopping 14 points ahead of the runner-up, Suwon Bluewings. Jeonbuk grabbed their third title in six seasons with the most potent offense and stingiest defense in the league. They scored the league-high 61 goals and conceded the league-low 22. The juggernaut ended the season on a 15-game unbeaten streak with 11 wins and four draws. Their last loss came on Aug. 31 against Chunnam Dragons.

Head coach Choi Kang-hee, who'd led Jeonbuk to two championships before briefly leaving the club to coach the national team, returned in the middle of last season and worked his magic again this year. Veteran forward Lee Dong-gook led the offense with 13 goals, while new offseason acquisitions, such as Kim Nam-il, Han Kyo-wan and Lee Seung-yeoul, also made contributions.

The 2013 champs Pohang Steelers had a hot start and looked poised to repeat. Then their star midfielder Lee Myoung-ju signed with Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates in midseason, and things quickly unraveled. They won just twice since mid-September and failed to get a victory against their five opponents in the upper group, finishing in fourth place at 58 points.

The Steelers also found themselves on the wrong end of last-minute drama, as they let a chance to compete in Asia's top club competition next year slip through their hands.

By losing the season finale Sunday, Pohang came up short of securing a ticket to the qualifying playoff for next year's Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.

The top two K League Classic teams along with the FA Cup champion earn automatic berths to the following season's AFC Champions League, while the No. 3 team in the K League Classic goes to the qualifying playoff for a chance to join them. On Sunday, Pohang, needing only a draw to finish third, lost to Suwon 2-1, while FC Seoul defeated Jeju United 2-1 to overtake Pohang in third place.

FC Seoul and Pohang both ended with 58 points but FC Seoul had a superior goal differential, plus-14 to plus-11.

In Suwon's come-from-behind victory, forward Santos clinched his first scoring title. The Brazilian netted the second-half equalizer for his 14th goal of the season, one ahead of Lee Dong-gook of Jeonbuk and Stevica Ristic of Chunnam.

In the bottom half of the competition, Sangju Sangmu finished last with 34 points and will be relegated to the second division K League Challenge for next season.

Sangju Sangmu are a military club made up of conscripted players, and the club's performance often fluctuates depending on the quality of players joining the armed forces or getting discharged. Sangju earned a promotion to the K League Classic last season but lasted just one year in the top division.

Gyeongnam FC finished just two points ahead of Sangju and will be in a relegation playoff with Gwangju FC from the K League Challenge. The winner from the home-and-away series will play in the K League Classic next year. (Yonhap)