Ulsan continue undefeated run as Jeonbuk's woes continue

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Ulsan continue undefeated run as Jeonbuk's woes continue

Published: 03 Apr. 2023, 15:27

Ulsan Hyundai's Joo Min-kyu, right, chooses not to celebrate after scoring a goal in a K League game against his former team Jeju United at Jeju World Cup Stadium on Sunday. [KOREA PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE]

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors suffered yet another defeat against the Pohang Steelers on Saturday, while defending champions Ulsan Hyundai extended their winning-streak to five games the following day.

The weekend’s fixtures saw the K League in action for the first time since the Korean national team's 2-1 loss against Uruguay last Tuesday.

Last season’s runners-up Jeonbuk were the first team back on the pitch, but striker Cho Gue-sung, who had played two friendlies against Colombia and Uruguay with the Korean national team, was not on the roster for Saturday’s game, possibly due to fatigue.

Even without Cho, Jeonbuk displayed a solid performance against the Steelers in the first half, with Ryu Jae-moon scoring the opener outside the penalty box in the 16th minute.

Both sides created a number of chances, but failed to score more goals and ended the first half 1-0.

The Steelers played more aggressively in the second half and Baek Sung-dong tied things up with an equalizer in the 57th minute.

Jeonbuk tried to counter, but ended up going one man down after defender Park Jin-seob went off in injury time due to a head injury.

Their defense seemed shaken without Park and they eventually conceded the winner in the 98th minute to Zeca, losing the game 2-1.

The Pohang Steelers celebrate after scoring a goal in a K League game against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in a photo shared on the Steelers' official Facebook account on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Saturday’s loss was Jeonbuk’s second in a row and the third defeat of the 2023 K League season.

With the loss, Jeonbuk stayed in eighth position on the table, while the Steelers moved one place up to third.

Although Jeonbuk have only played five games so far this season, their fans have already repeated called for manager Kim Sang-sik to be fired, picketing Saturday's game and surrounding the club's bus after the match to demand an apology from Kim.

Meanwhile, the newly promoted Gwangju FC and Daejeon Hana Citizen both pulled off wins on Saturday.

Gwangju, who had thrashed Incheon United 5-0 in their previous game, beat Suwon FC 2-0 at home, proving once again that they are a team to watch out for this season.

Gwangju FC players celebrate after scoring a goal in a K League game against Suwon FC at Gwangju Football Stadium in Gwangju in a photo shared on Gwangju's official Facebook account on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The match result did not change the standings, however, as Gwangju remained in fifth and Suwon retained ninth.

Daejeon, on the other hand, snatched second place from FC Seoul after a 3-2 victory over the capital side at home.

Hwang Ui-jo, who played the whole game, yet again failed to score his debut goal for FC Seoul. The capital side went down to fourth after ceding second place.

Elsewhere in the league, sixth-place Daegu FC and seventh-place Incheon also clashed on Saturday and maintained their position on the table after a goalless draw.

Defending champions Ulsan Hyundai were the only team to record a victory on Sunday. They faced Jeju United on Jeju Island and displayed a dominant performance to win the game 3-1.

Jung Seung-hyun opened the scoring, with Joo Min-kyu scoring the team’s second and Kang Yun-gu recording No. 3.

Joo’s goal against his former team was also his third goal in as many games.

The defending champions stayed in first on the table with an unbeaten run. They have not even recorded a single draw yet this season.

Jeju, who have yet to win a game, slipped down to last place with the loss, following a 1-1 draw between the Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Gangwon FC.

The Bluewings lifted themselves one place up to 11th and Gangwon did the same to put themselves in 10th. Along with Jeju, the two teams have not managed a win this season yet.

The K League continues next week, with Ulsan Hyundai taking on the Bluewings in Ulsan on Saturday.

FC Seoul will play Daegu in the capital, while the Steelers play the formidable Gwangju in Pohang, North Gyeongsang on the same day.

Suwon FC will then face second-place Daejeon in Suwon, Gyeonggi the following day and Jeonbuk will take on Incheon, also at home.

The last match of the week will be a clash between winless Jeju and Gangwon at Chuncheon Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon, Gangwon.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]