Ulsan HD moved to the top of the K League 1 standings after a convincing win over Daejeon Hana Citizens. Pohang Steelers and Gimcheon Commerce, who are tied for first place, were held to a draw.
Ulsan, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated Daejeon 4-1 at home in the 14th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at the Ulsan Football Stadium on Friday.
Ulsan, which had been winless in three consecutive matches (one draw and two losses), including two straight defeats, turned the tide with its first win in four matches. It was also significant in that it broke the jinx against Daejeon, where they were particularly weak with two draws and two losses after being promoted last year.
After Kim Min-woo broke the deadlock in the 35th minute, Ulsan took advantage of their numerical advantage when Anton (Daejeon) was sent off in 현금홀덤사이트 first-half stoppage time for a deep tackle.
Ulsan then added back-to-back goals from Rubiksson in the 19th and 30th minutes of the second half, as well as a stoppage-time winner from Lee Min-kyu, to defeat Daejeon 4-1 after Lim Duk-geun made up for a one-goal deficit.
Ulsan attempted a whopping 29 shots on goal on the day, including 12 in the first half and 17 in the second. Daejeon, on the other hand, was held to zero shots in the first half and two in the second half. It was the first match under acting head coach Jung Kwang-seok following the resignation of Lee Min-sung.
With the win, Ulsan moved to the top of the league with 27 points (8 W, 3 D, 3 L). Daejeon remains in last place with 11 points (2 wins, 5 draws, 7 losses).
In what has been billed as the “Kim Ki-Dong Derby,” Pohang and Seoul battled to a 2-2 draw at the Pohang Steel Yard after two goals apiece.
It was Pohang who broke the deadlock first. In the fourth minute of the first half, Pohang scored a lucky own goal when Lee Tae-seok (Seoul) headed a side cross into the goal. Seoul, who were on the offensive from then on, equalized in the 41st minute through Ilyuchenko. Pohang did not have a single shot on goal in the first half, but thanks to the opponent’s own goal, they scored one goal and set a record of “0 shots on goal, 1 goal”.
In the second half, the two teams battled back and forth until Pohang broke the deadlock in the 39th minute. Lee Ho-jae calmly converted the penalty kick after Lee Yong-joon collided with the goalkeeper. However, Seoul equalized again just three minutes later when Park Dong-jin’s cross was finished in the box by Kim Sang-hyeop.
The two teams battled for a dramatic goal in the final minutes of stoppage time, but neither side was able to capitalize. In the end, the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
With the draw, Pohang moved to 26 points (7 W, 5 D, 2 L) and lost ground on Ulsan at the top of the standings. Seoul remained in eighth place with 16 points (4 wins, 4 draws, 6 losses).
Seoul’s foreign forward Jesse Lingard started the match and played the entire match without being substituted. This is the first time Lingard has played a full match since joining Seoul. However, his first K League point would have to wait until another day.
Jeonbuk Hyundai and Gimcheon played to a scoreless draw at Jeonju World Cup Stadium.
Jeonbuk suffered a series of bad luck as Park Jin-seob was forced to be substituted due to a bleeding head injury after a collision with an opponent, while Gimcheon cried over their goal-decision luck despite firing 10 and 12 shots in the first and second halves, respectively.
In particular, Gimcheon was disappointed to see a dramatic goal by Min Min-woo in late stoppage time, but the goal was disallowed by the video assistant referee (VAR). Jeonbuk also appeared to have a penalty kick opportunity after a handball foul on the opponent, but after an on-field review, the penalty was not awarded.
With the draw, Jeonbuk added one point to its tally and moved up from 11th to ninth place with 14 points (3 W, 5 D, 6 L). Gimcheon slipped to third place with 26 points (7 wins, 5 draws, 2 losses). They are level on points with Pohang but two goals behind on goal difference.
Incheon United, who were punished with a ban from their home stands for the so-called water bottle incident, played out a dramatic 1-1 draw with Gwangju FC.
After conceding an early goal to Choi Kyung-rok in the first minute of the second half, Incheon battled back to earn a point with a dramatic penalty kick equalizer from Mugosa in stoppage time.
The draw keeps Incheon in sixth place with 18 points (W4 D6 L4). Gwangju, who earned their first draw of the season, remained in seventh place with 16 points (5 W, 1 D, 8 L).