Ulsan hold on to top spot as FC Seoul climb up to third

Football

Published: 10 Apr. 2023, 15:10 Updated: 10 Apr. 2023, 16:51

Ulsan hold on to top spot as FC Seoul climb up to third

FC Seoul's Hwang Ui-jo takes a penalty during a K League game against Daegu FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul on Saturday. [YONHAP]

FC Seoul climbed up to third place on the K League table over the weekend as Hwang Ui-jo scored his debut goal for the club, while Ulsan Hyundai remained on top with their sixth consecutive win of the season.

Saturday’s game between Seoul and Daegu at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul was one not to be missed, as singer Lim Young-woong took the rarely-seen ceremonial kick off and performed a half-time show, drawing 45,007 spectators — the highest turnout to any Korean professional sports game since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Singer Lim Young-woong performs during half time of a game between FC Seoul and Daegu FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul on Saturday. [NEWS1]

FC Seoul started the game to the cheers of the massive home crowd. They went on the offensive from the start, attempting multiple shots in the early minutes and found a chance to open the scoring with a penalty from Kim Gang-san’s handball.

Hwang Ui-jo, who has yet to score a goal this season, stepped up and turned the penalty into his debut goal for the capital side.

With some early security, Seoul were able to play the rest of the game more comfortably. They got on the scoresheet again in the 32nd minute, when Na Sang-ho slotted in a ball that hit the goalpost from a corner.

Aleksandar Palocevic then scored No. 3 with a direct free kick in the 41st minute, ending the game at 3-0.

The match result elevated Seoul one place up to third and pushed Daegu two spots down to eighth.

Defending champions Ulsan played the Suwon Samsung Bluewings on Saturday in Ulsan and extended their winning-streak to six games.

Gustav Ludwigson was the hero of that match, as he managed two goals in the space of two minutes to single-handedly secure the 2-1 win.

The Swedish winger scored the opener in the 32nd minute with a shot inside the penalty box and managed his second in nearly the same fashion in the 34th minute.

Ulsan Hyundai players celebrate after Gustav Ludwigson's goal during a K League game against the Suwon Samsung Bluewings at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan in a photo shared on Ulsan's official Instagram account on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Bluewings bounced back in the 79th minute with Kim Kyung-jung’s goal, but it was not enough to save them.

With the loss, the winless Bluewings slipped one position down to last place.

Elsewhere in the league, the Pohang Steelers lifted themselves up to second place after a 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Gwangju FC at home.

Gwangju remained in fifth place despite the loss.

Sunday’s fixtures offered some excitement too, as Suwon FC and newly promoted Daejeon Hana Citizen pulled off an eight-goal thriller at Suwon Sports Complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi.

Daejeon’s Lee Hyun-sik opened the scoring in the fourth minute, followed by Tiago’s second in the 38th minute.

Suwon FC bounced back with a goal by Lee Yong in the 56th minute, but Tiago scored Daejeon’s No. 3 four minutes later to make it 3-1.

Suwon broke through, however, with a goal by Lars Veldwijk in the 65th minute and another in the 69th minute to level the score at 3-3.

Yoon Bit-garam then scored Suwon's fourth goal, before Murilo Henrique managed one more to secure a come-from-behind 5-3 win.

The victory lifted Suwon FC three positions up to sixth, while it knocked Daejeon down to fourth.

Last season’s runners-up Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors cut their two-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over Incheon at home.

Jun Amano scored his debut goal for Jeonbuk in the 57th minute, followed by one more from Rafael Silva in the 88th minute.

Jun Amano celebrates after scoring his debut goal for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors during a K League game against Incheon United at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla in a photo shared on Jeonbuk's offical Facebook account on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The victory pushed Jeonbuk up one spot to seventh, with Incheon going down to ninth.

Despite displaying an improvement in their performance, Jeonbuk fans continued to call for the resignation of manager Kim Sang-sik. They have been demanding Kim's resignation due to the club’s disappointing performance this season — two wins, one draw and three losses so far.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' fans call for manager Kim Sang-sik's resignation during a K League game against Incheon United at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla on Sunday. [YONHAP]

The last match of the week was a clash between Gangwon FC and Jeju United, with both sides looking to secure their first win of the season at Chuncheon Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon, Gangwon.

Jeju walked away with a 1-0 win, rising to 10th while Gangwon slipped down to 11th.

The K League continues next week, with Jeju traveling to Suwon, Gyeonggi to take on the last-place Bluewings.

The second-place Steelers and third-place Seoul also clash on the same day in Pohang, North Gyeongsang, followed by a game between Suwon FC and Jeonbuk, also in Suwon.

Winless Gangwon will play Incheon at home, while Ulsan travel to Daejeon to take on Daejeon Hana Citizen. Daegu will play the last game of the week at home against Gwangju.

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