Klimala Brace; Seoul’s Magic Number 3
FC Seoul drew 2-2 with Gimcheon Sangmu in Round 32 of K League 1 at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 18th. Klimala opened the scoring in the 22nd minute by finishing a cutback from Jung Seung-won, but Gimcheon leveled late in the first half through a Lee Sang-heon penalty. Klimala put Seoul back in front in the 51st minute by converting a cross from Moon Seon-min, but Gimcheon equalized again in the 66th minute with a second penalty, awarded after a video review. With his 15th and 16th goals of the season, Klimala drew level with league top scorer Yago (Ulsan) on 16. Seoul, on 66 points, kept its 16-point lead over second-place Ulsan (50 points). A win at home against Gangwon FC on the 24th would clinch an early league title, Seoul’s first since 2016 and its seventh overall.
Source: Sports Kyunghyang
90+9 Own Goal in Rain; Daejeon Rallies
Daejeon Hana Citizen came back from 2-0 down to beat Gwangju FC 3-2 in Round 32 at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 18th. Gwangju’s John Iredale scored just two minutes in and added another in the 28th minute. At halftime, heavy rain left puddles on the pitch and delayed the start of the second half; officials even discussed playing the rest of the second half the next day before the match resumed at 3:45 p.m. Daejeon pulled one back with a Seo Jin-su penalty in the 74th minute and equalized through Diogo in the 78th. A Gwangju goal three minutes into stoppage time was ruled out for offside after a VAR review, and in the ninth minute of stoppage time, Gwangju’s Moon Min-seo turned a Lee Myung-jae cross into his own net while trying to clear it. Daejeon, now on 46 points, boosted its chances of reaching Final A, while last-place Gwangju stayed on 18 points.
Source: OSEN
Tiago Double Lifts Jeonbuk to 3rd
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors beat Jeju SK 3-2 in Round 32 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on the 18th. In a match played in heavy rain, Jeonbuk took the lead in the 32nd minute when Tiago headed in a Lee Young-jae corner. Jeju leveled just before halftime as Negueba converted a penalty awarded after a video review. Jeonbuk went back ahead in the 47th minute when Kim Young-bin headed home a Lee Young-jae free kick, and in the 60th minute Tiago, receiving a pass from Lee Seung-woo, fired in while falling to make it 3-1. Negueba scored another penalty in stoppage time, but Jeju ran out of time. Jeonbuk ended a three-match winless run in all competitions (one draw, two losses) and climbed to third on 47 points, three behind second-place Ulsan (50). Jeju, after two straight losses, dropped to sixth on 46 points.
Source: Sports Kyunghyang
Gangwon, Incheon Draw 1-1
Gangwon FC and Incheon United drew 1-1 in their Round 32 meeting in K League 1 on the 18th. According to Star News, Incheon went ahead through Mugoša, but Gangwon leveled with a goal from Kim Dae-won, and the sides shared a point each. Per the official Korea Professional Football League standings, the draw left Gangwon on 47 points (11 wins, 14 draws, 7 losses), level with third-place Jeonbuk but fourth on goals scored. Incheon stayed seventh on 43 points (11 wins, 10 draws, 11 losses), three behind sixth-place Jeju (46), heading into the final regular-season round, Round 33. For Incheon, promoted after winning K League 2 last season, the final match will decide whether it reaches Final A.
Source: Star News
Pohang, Anyang Draw; Both Head to Final B
Pohang Steelers and FC Anyang played to a 0-0 draw in Round 32 at Pohang Steelyard on the 18th. Going in, both Pohang (ninth, 40 points) and Anyang (eighth, 41 points) needed a win to stay in the race for Final A, but neither side found the net. According to Maeil Business Newspaper, the draw means Anyang (eighth, 42 points) and Pohang (ninth, 41 points) are now confirmed for Final B regardless of their last regular-season result. They join last-place Gwangju FC (18 points), Bucheon FC 1995 (11th, 32 points) and Gimcheon Sangmu (10th, 34 points), who had already been confirmed for Final B. That settles five of the six Final B places, with the last spot going to one of Daejeon, Jeju or Incheon after the final round on the 24th.
Source: Maeil Business Newspaper
Kim Gi-dong Eyes Title at Home
FC Seoul manager Kim Gi-dong, whose side put off clinching the title early after a 2-2 draw with Gimcheon, said he intends to seal it at home. Seoul conceded two penalties in the match, and the draw extended its winless run against Gimcheon this season (two draws, one loss). “It’s disappointing that we didn’t win today. Still, even after giving away two penalties in one game, we didn’t waver and finished the match well. It was a good game,” Kim said afterward. He added, “Even if we had won today, it wouldn’t have been the title. We have the next game. Today’s draw is disappointing, but we will prepare well for our home match so that we can win the title.” On his players’ form, he said, “Many players are playing well. I think we’ll talk more about that once the match is over and we’ve clinched the title.” Seoul hosts Gangwon FC on the 24th.
Source: Sports Kyunghyang
Final A’s Last Spot: Incheon vs. Jeju
With Round 32 complete, the picture for K League 1’s Final A is almost settled. According to Maeil Business Newspaper, Seoul (66 points), Ulsan (50), and Jeonbuk and Gangwon (47 each) have clinched Final A regardless of the final round. Daejeon and Jeju (46 each) and Incheon (43) are fighting for the last two places. Because K League ranks teams by goals scored after points, Daejeon, with 51 goals, is likely to finish no lower than sixth even if it loses its final match against Gimcheon on the 24th. That effectively leaves one spot to be decided between Jeju and Incheon, who, as it happens, face each other in the final round. Jeju leads by three points but has scored 38 goals, two fewer than Incheon’s 40, so an Incheon win would bring the teams level on points and flip the order on goals scored. Incheon, promoted after winning K League 2 last season, will go straight into Final A with a win.
Source: Maeil Business Newspaper