FC Seoul beats Suwon for first time in 10 tries

FC Seoul leapfrogged to third place on Saturday after it beat its crosstown rivals Suwon Bluewings 2-1 at home. Adi, or Adilson Dos Santos, and Kim Jin-kyu netted the goals for Seoul, while substitute Cho Ji-hun scored for Suwon.

The victory snapped Seoul’s winless streak against Suwon at nine and gave Seoul coach Choi Yong-soo his first “Super Match” victory since he took the helm ahead of the 2012 season. Seoul had lost seven games to Suwon and drew two others since Aug. 28 of 2010.

Extending its recent winning streak to five, Seoul climbed to third in the standings, ahead of Incheon United on goal differential. It closed the gap with league-leading Pohang Steelers to seven points, reviving hopes of defending the title.

Seoul finished last season 17 points clear of second-place Jeonbuk Motors, but fell as low as 12th place in the early stages of this season.

Choi credited the Saturday victory in part to putting aside excessive expectations on his part.

“I thought that I was too overzealous in the past, so I tried to let go of the pressure today,” Choi told reporters. “I did not demand too much of the players, but just trusted them.”

Adi responded to the coach’s trust in the 29th minute, converting a Molina corner kick into a strong header that flew past national team goalie Jung Sung-ryong. Seoul scored again thanks again to Molina, who floated a skilled free kick for Kim to head.

Cho came in as a substitute in the 78th minute, and just a minute later scored Suwon’s lone goal. His strong mid-range shot deflected off Seoul midfielder Han Tae-yoo into the net.

The Steelers returned to the top of the standings with a 1-0 win against Daegu FC on Saturday. Noh Byung-joon scored the winner in the 80th minute. Ulsan Hyundai, who drew with Incheon 2-2 on Saturday, fell to second place and is trailing Pohang by one point.

Lim Sang-hyup scored a hattrick, as Busan I’Park thrashed Gyeongnam FC 5-1. Jeju United drew Chunnam Dragons 0-0, failing to snap its five-game winless streak.

BY MOON GWANG-LIP [joe@joongang.co.kr]