Daejeon Hana Citizen, who returned to the K-League 1 after 8 years, is experiencing a strong wind.
Daejeon Hana Citizen, a professional football ‘promoted team’, boasted a unique home strength and stopped defending champion Ulsan Hyundai from opening 7 consecutive victories, continuing their ‘invincibility at home’.
Daejeon defeated Ulsan 2-1 in the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 Round 7 home game held at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 16th.
Daejeon is undefeated with 3 wins and 1 draw in their 4 home matches since promotion.
After losing 2-3 to FC Anyang in August of last year, they have recorded 7 wins and 3 draws in 10 games.
Ulsan suffered its first loss of the season. It was also the first time they conceded two or more goals.
Last season’s champions, Ulsan, had 6 wins and 18 undefeated points this season, leading the way.
If they had won that day as well, they could have stood shoulder to shoulder with the K-League opening record (7 wins) held by Suwon Samsung (1998) and Seongnam FC (2003).
Like manager Lee Min-seong’s assertion before the game, “I will stop the opponent from winning 7 consecutive wins at home,” Ulsan’s challenge to achieve the first record in 20 years was blocked by Daejeon’s ‘strong home’.
Throughout the 1st and 2nd divisions, Daejeon has a record of 23 wins, 10 draws and 1 loss in the recent 34 matches played at home.
Daejeon, which caught a big fish and earned 3 points (4 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, 14 points), rose to 3rd place.
Ulsan kept the lead, but could not get points, so the difference between Pohang Steelers (4 wins, 3 draws, 15 points) in second place decreased to 3 points.
Since Daejeon stayed in the K League 2 for a long time and was promoted this season, it has been about 8 years since the home game (0-0 draw) against Ulsan in the K League 1 on October 4, 2015.
Daejeon, which tried to press hard from the beginning of the game, paid off in the 9th minute of the game.
Lee Hyun-shik persisted and took the ball from Seol Young-woo, then passed it to Lee Jin-hyun who was running to the right side of the penalty box, and Lee Jin-hyun wrapped it around with his left foot and kicked it accurately into the bottom of the opposite side of the goal.
Ulsan counterattacked in the 9th minute.
Kim Min-hyeok, who stepped on the ground as a substitute in the 17th minute of the first half, delivered an exquisite long pass toward Rubikson in the 1st minute.
Rubikson, who was running in the penalty arc, shook the net by dropping the ball to his chest and overcoming the defense, kicking it low with his left foot.
Rubiksson, who scored his 5th goal of the season, surpassed Gwangju FC’s Asani (4 goals) to become the top scorer.
However, Lee Hyun-sik, who helped the opening goal, scored directly in the extra time of the first half, and Daejeon took the lead again.
In a counterattack situation, Lee Jin-hyun’s shot hit Tiago’s chest and flowed out, and Lee Hyun-sik kicked it again with his right foot, shaking the net.
Ulsan aimed for a comeback goal, and Cho Hyeon-taek, Kim Min-hyeok, and Rubiksson fired shots from the penalty area in turn in the 38th minute of the second half, but all of them were blocked by goalkeeper Lee Chang-geun’s save.
On this day, Cha Doo-ri, national team technical advisor, and coach Michael Kim visited the site and watched the players of both teams play. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann of the national soccer team is on a business trip to check the European team.
■ Gangwon lost 0-2 to Incheon… At Chuncheon
Songam Sports Center, Gangwon FC, whose striker Lee Jung-hyeop and defender Kevin were injured, lost 0-2 to Incheon United.
With the defeat on this day, Gangwon lost the last 2 games in a row and had a winless streak (3 draws and 4 losses) in the opening 7 games.
There are only two teams that have failed to win in the opening 7 games of this season, Suwon Samsung (2 draws, 5 losses) and 11th place Gangwon.
On the other hand, the visiting team, Incheon, washed away the sluggishness of the last 3 consecutive games (1 draw, 2 losses) and took their 2nd win (2 draws, 3 losses) of the season, rising to 8th place.
Gangwon and Incheon, who entered the game with a ‘common denominator’ to escape the lower ranks, faced fiercely from the beginning of the game.
In the 21st minute of the first half, Jerso, who dug into the left side of the penalty area, crossed, and Kim Jun-yeop, who was flooding into the goal, took the lead with his right foot from the left side of the goal area.
Incheon, who finished the first half 1-0, increased their offensive in the second half.
In the 24th minute of the second half, in a corner kick situation, Kim Yeon-soo’s header hit the crossbar and left Incheon feeling regretful. In the 39th minute of the second half, Hernandez counterattacked and scored an additional goal with a right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area to end the victory.
■ ‘Promoted Team’ Gwangju beats Daegu
FC 4-3 after a slugfest against Daegu FC.
Gwangju (4 wins, 3 losses, 12 points), which tasted defeat in the 6th round, succeeded in changing the atmosphere and rose to 5th place, while Daegu (6 points) suffered two losses in a row and fell one notch to 10th place.
In the 18th minute of the first half, Gwangju easily solved the game as Kim Han-gil scored a goal with a left-footed non-stop shot from near the left side of the goal area with Timo’s cross.
Gwangju finished the first half 2-0 with Sandro’s additional goal in the 43rd minute of the first half. In the 14th minute of the second half, Heo Yul scored with a header from the front of the goal area, opening the score to 3-0.
‘Gojagi’ Daegu Ko Jae-hyeon’s toes danced in the second half.
Ko Jae-Hyun broke into the left side of the penalty area in the 18th minute of the second half and announced the start of the chase with a right-footed shot.
In the 36th minute of the second half,먹튀검증 Edgar’s shot hit the post, and Keita pushed it from the front of the post to balance the game.
However, in the 41st minute of the second half, Ha Seung-woon’s winning goal put Gwangju to rest against Daegu’s pursuit, and it was difficult to win.