Suwon FC coach Kim Do-gyun watches the match between Suwon FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai during the ‘Hana One Q K League 1 2021’ match held at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 21st. Suwon | Reporter Min-seong Kim marineboy@donga.com
Jeonbuk Hyundai, which aims to win the K League 1 (Part 1) 5 in a row, is caught on a reef.
Jeonbuk lost 2-3 to Suwon FC in the 36th round away match of ‘Hana One Q K League 1 2021’ held at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 21st. At the end of the second half, after falling 0-2, they made a 2-2 tie with consecutive goals from Sun-Min Moon and Gustavo, but luck didn’t follow. In the 43rd minute of the second half, Suwon FC conceded the winning goal to Jung Jae-yong.
Jeonbuk, which widened the gap by defeating second-placed Ulsan Hyundai, which had been competing for the lead before the November A match break, 3-2 at home, were aiming for two rabbits that day. He tried to restore the balance of the opponent’s record with Suwon FC, which was inferior, and to ‘harden the lead’.
Jeonbuk was particularly weak against Suwon FC. In the regular rounds this season, they got 2 draws and 1 loss. Jeonbuk coach Kim Sang-sik said, “I thoroughly prepared for two weeks. Prepared for counter-attacks with the opponent’s set pieces. It will be different from the previous games,” he said, but in vain. Jeonbuk, tied with 20 wins, 10 draws and 6 losses, and 70 points, could not avoid the pursuit of Ulsan.
To be honest, there didn’t seem to be an advantage for the home team. They recently suffered four consecutive defeats, and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) entry into the third place was virtually out of reach. Manager Kim Sang-sik’s ‘best friend’ Kim Do-gyun, manager of Suwon FC, also said, “Motivation has dropped a lot from the time when the final A (1st to 6th place) entry was confirmed. I just said that we should prove our worth like a professional.”
However, this time the situation did not change. Suwon FC’s counterattack was terrifying. In the 19th minute of the first half, Lee Young-jae took the lead by kicking a penalty kick (PK) from a foul by Kim Jin-soo of Jeonbuk, and 10 minutes later, Jeonbuk striker Lars shook off the Jeonbuk defense and shook the goal net again.
Jeonbuk, behind by two goals in an instant, became desperate. From the end of the first half, he tried to attack without a break, and at halftime, Lee Seung-gi and Song Min-gyu were removed, and Kim Bo-kyung and Moon Seon-min were put in. When the energy was injected, the attack became much smoother. Although Koo Ja-ryong’s header hit the goalpost and Suwon FC’s goalkeeper Yoo-hyeon’s save show suffered, he did not give up. Jeonbuk equalized with Moon Seon-min’s goal in the 31st minute of the second half and Gustavo’s PK equalizing goal five minutes later.
Unsatisfied, Jeonbuk continued the offensive, and the ball that Gustavo actually touched went into the goal. But the spirit of victory was in the home team. Suwon FC took a breather when referee Koh Hyeong-jin declared offside and completed the ‘Pele Score’ victory with Jung Jae-yong’s huge kick in the 43rd minute of the second half.
Director Kim Sang-sik said, “It’s a pity that I couldn’t beat my friend (Director Kim Do-kyun) even once this year. There is no need to be conscious of Ulsan. We are going to win the remaining two games by pushing our team well.” Jeonbuk will face Daegu FC (away) on the 28th and Jeju United (home) on the 5th of next month in turn.
Suwon | Reporter Jang-hyun Nam yoshike3@donga.com View more articles by reporter
