Jeju United escaped a two-game losing streak with a win over Jeonbuk Hyundai. FC Seoul enjoyed a goal-fest and a comfortable win. Gwangju FC, which caused a stir by finishing third last year, suffered its third straight defeat.
Jeju defeated Jeonbuk 2-0 in the fifth round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 on Wednesday at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island.
Jeju, which recently escaped its second straight defeat, improved its record to 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses (7 points) and moved up the standings from 10th to 6th.
Jeonbuk, on the other hand, remained at the bottom of the table after five consecutive games without a win (three draws and two losses). They also suffered the humiliation of being the only team in the 23-team K League 1 and K League 2 without a win.
The two teams, both of whom have struggled in the early stages of the season, exchanged attacks from the start of the match, looking for an early goal, but their lack of finishing made it difficult for anyone to take the lead.
Jeju had two shots on goal, Ahn Tae-hyun in the 14th minute and Kim Seung-seop in the 22nd minute, but both were blocked by Jeonbuk goalkeeper Jung Min-ki. In the 26th minute, Jeonbuk’s Lee Soo-bin fired a half-volley with his right foot, but Jeju goalkeeper Kim Dong-joon saved it.
In a tense game, Jeju took the lead off a set piece. In the 28th minute, a cross from Hayes on a corner kick was deflected back to Yeo Hong-kyu, who pushed it in with his body.
Jeonbuk tried to fight back by introducing Lee Dong-joon and Thiago at the same time after the concession, but failed to equalize as they missed several crucial shots.
Jeju reinforced its front line at the start of the second half by introducing foreign striker Yuri Jonatan, who has good delivery. Jeju centered their attack around Yuri Jonatan and put pressure on Jeonbuk.
After a frustrating period of time, Jeonbuk introduced Lee Young-jae and Moon Sun-min in the 18th minute of the second half. However, Jeonbuk suffered a setback in the 32nd minute when Kim Jin-soo was sent off for a rough tackle on Kim Tae-han.
With the numerical advantage, Jeju tried to score more goals with Yuri Jonatan, Jin Sung-wook, and Kim Jae-min, who were introduced in the second half. The one-man advantage kept Jeju on the attack and a late goal from Jin Sung-wook in stoppage time sealed the victory.
Seoul defeated Gimcheon Commerce 5-1 at home at Seoul World Cup Stadium, led by Ilyuchenko’s two goals and two assists.
With the win, Seoul moved into fourth place with two wins, two draws and one loss (W8, D8, G4), ahead of Incheon United (W8, D8, G2) on goal difference. Gimcheon remained in second place with three wins and two losses (9 points).
Seoul’s frontline forward Ilyuchenko started the match on a high note, assisting 토토 Cho Young-wook’s first goal in the 15th minute. After warming up with an assist, Ilyuchenko soon got on the scoresheet himself.
Ilyuchenko added another goal in the 33rd minute, assisted by Klinsmann. Five minutes later, he sealed the victory when he converted a pass from Ki Sung-yong on a counterattack.
Ilyuchenko was involved in all four of the first half’s goals, including an assist on Kim Sang-hyeon’s goal in first-half stoppage time.
Having already taken the lead in the first half, Seoul conceded a late goal in the seventh minute through Kim Min-Joon of Gimcheon, but Park Dong-Jin sealed the victory in the 34th minute.
Incheon United defeated Gwangju 3-2 at the Gwangju Football Stadium thanks to a late stoppage-time goal from Gerso.
With their second straight win, Incheon moved into fifth place. Gwangju, on the other hand, has lost three straight games after opening with two straight wins to drop to seventh place on goal difference with 6 (9 points), ahead of Gangwon FC (6-8 points), who picked up their first win of the day.
Gangwon won 3-0 against Daegu FC at Chuncheon Songam Sports Town, led by a multi-goal performance from Lee Sang-heon. Lee scored two goals on the day, his fifth of the league, and moved into sole possession of the league lead in goals scored.