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Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors hold K League 1 spot with 2-1 win over Seoul E-Land

Published: 08 Dec. 2024, 17:47 Updated: 08 Dec. 2024, 17:48

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors forward Tiago Orobo, right, celebrates during a K League promotion-relegation playoff against Seoul E-Land at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla, on Sunday. [YONHAP]

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors secured a spot in the K League 1 next year with a 2-1 win over Seoul E-Land in the second leg of the promotion-relegation playoffs on Sunday, winning the series 4-2 after a season-long struggle.

Both sides played aggressively and showcased quick transitions in the do-or-die game, the final match of the 2024 K League season, at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla.

The first half was neck-and-neck with continuous action on both ends of the pitch. By the end of the first half, the two teams had recorded four shots apiece.

But Seoul E-Land forward Bruno Silva broke the deadlock in first half stoppage time with a header to level the aggregate score.

Seoul E-Land midfielder Bruno Silva, right, dribbles during a K League promotion-relegation playoff against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla on Sunday. [YONHAP]

Jeonbuk bounced back early in the second half, with Tiago Orobo scoring a header in the 51st minute that forced Seoul E-Land to take a more aggressive approach.

Seoul E-Land created more chances in Jeonbuk territory but failed to crack its opponent's armor. Shots in the penalty box went wide or over the bar.

The end of the game became more heated, culminating in a physical altercation between Jeonbuk’s Kim Tae-hwan and Seoul E-Land’s Lee Joon-suk for which both received a red card.

Jeonbuk played more defensively toward the end of the match, spending most of the time blocking shots.

The K League 1 giants found a crucial opportunity in stoppage time through a counterattack that Moon Seon-min converted to seal a 4-2 victory on aggregate and end Seoul E-Land’s hopes.

Jeonbuk end the 2024 season after their worst run in the K League 1, during which they finished in 10th place on the 12-team table for the first time and landed in the promotion-relegation playoffs. This season also marks the first in which the nine-time K League 1 champions have finished in the bottom six.

Daegu FC, who took 11th place, were also close to being relegated but secured a berth in the next K League 1 season after winning the second leg of playoffs against Chungnam Asan FC.

Only Incheon United, who finished at the bottom of the table, faced relegation to the K League 2 this year.

In the K League 1, the last-place team faces direct relegation to the second division, while the 10th and 11th teams enter the promotion-relegation playoffs against two K League 2 clubs to decide which teams secure berths in the top tier next season.

A win for Seoul E-Land would've sent the team to the K League 1 for the first time, bringing the squad a chance to introduce themselves to a larger audience and emerge from FC Seoul’s shadow, setting up a K League 1 capital derby for the first time.

FC Anyang will compete in the top tier for the first time in the 2025 season after winning the K League 2 title.

The 2025 K League 2 season could prove to be a fiercely competitive one if the K League approves K3 club Hwaseong FC’s bid to become the second division's 14th team.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]