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Hwaseong FC beat Chungbuk Cheongju 2-1 in first professional win

Published: 16 Mar. 2025, 15:43 Updated: 16 Mar. 2025, 17:10

PAIK JI-HWAN
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Hwaseong FC pose for a photo after winning a K League 2 match against Chungbuk Cheongju FC at Hwaseong Sports Town Main Stadium in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, in a photo shared on Hwaseong's Facebook account on March 15. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Hwaseong FC secured their first professional victory at home on Saturday, beating Chungbuk Cheongju FC 2-1.

The historic win followed what has been a so-far difficult 2025 K League 2 campaign for the club, which has picked up one loss and two draws since turning pro in January.

Dimitri Lima Souza opened the scoring for Hwaseong in the 66th minute. Jeon Hyeon-byeong then found the back of the net on the wrong end to double Hwaseong’s lead in the 77th minute.

Gabriel Santos scored a penalty for Cheongju in stoppage time, but it only provided the visitors some consolation.

Saturday also marked the first victory for new Hwaseong manager Cha Du-ri, who took the helm ahead of the 2025 K League 2 campaign for his debut season as a pro team manager.

Cha Du-ri attracted media attention during his playing days as the son of Cha Bum-kun, a legendary forward in the Bundesliga from 1978 through 1989, during which he won the UEFA Cup — now the UEFA Europa League — in 1980 and 1988, and accolades including a place on the Asia Men's Team of the 20th Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.

The senior Cha was also a manager in the K League, where he won two K League titles, two Korean FA Cups — now called the Korea Cup — and two now-scrapped Korean League Cups with the Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the 2000s.

The remainder of the 2025 season will see Cha Du-ri’s Hwaseong face the Bluewings and a host of other teams vying for coveted promotion to the K League 1.

Promotion to the top tier has proved a tough challenge for most K League 2 teams in the past two seasons, as only the winners of the K League 2 secured a ticket to the first division in 2023 and 2024.

The winners of the K League 2 earn direct promotion to the top tier, while two other teams play promotion-relegation playoffs against two K League 1 clubs to determine which sides secure berths in the first division next season.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]