Gwangju FC, in its first year of professional soccer’s K League One (K1) promotion, defeated Ulsan Hyundai for the first time in eight years to extend its unbeaten streak to nine games.
Gwangju defeated Ulsan 2-0 in the 29th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 away match at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Wednesday afternoon.
After a 0-1 home defeat against Ulsan on July 2, Gwangju went ‘unbeaten’ for the next two months.
With four wins and five draws in that stretch, Gwangju (12W, 9D, 8L, 45P) have amassed 17 points and remain in the top half of the table despite being labeled a promotion contender.
Unless Jeonbuk Hyundai (42 points) wins by seven or more goals in their next match, Gwangju will clinch third place this round.
More importantly, Gwangju got a “welcome win” against Ulsan after eight years.
The last time Gwangju beat Ulsan was on July 11, 2015, away from home (1-0). They also lost the previous two meetings this season.
On the other hand, Ulsan (19 wins, 4 draws, 7 losses – 61 points), who have just one win in their last five matches, were unable to extend their lead over second-placed Pohang Steelers (53 points) to double digits on the day.
Gwangju scored first thanks to Ha Seung-woon’s “tenacity.
In the 17th minute of the first half, Ha Seung-woon created a scramble near the penalty area, winning a contest with opposing midfielders Lee Dong-kyung and Lee Kyu-sung.
A mistake between Lee Dong-kyung, Lee Kyu-sung, and Jeong Seung-hyun resulted in the ball inadvertently falling to the back of the net, where Lee Kun-hee quickly rushed into the box.
After beating goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo, who had moved forward to narrow the angle, Lee flicked the ball with his left foot into the Ulsan goal. Last defender Kim Young-kwon tried to clear it away with his body, but it wasn’t enough.
Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo made a change at the start of the second half, taking off Lee Dong-gyeong and bringing on Uhm Won-sang, who is good at breaking through.
However, it was Gwangju who rattled the net in the second half. Nine minutes into the second half, Becca opened the Ulsan goal with a thunderous right-footed strike past Cho Hyun-woo.
After Lee Hee-gyun’s mid-range shot from the penalty spot bounced off the defense, Becca leaped in place and finished with a picturesque volley.
It was the first goal in the K League for the Georgian striker, who joined Gwangju in June.
A nervous Hong threw in the towel two minutes later, bringing on Lee In-gyu and Lee Cheong-yong.
When that didn’t change the situation, he brought on Swedish international midfielder Boyanic in place of Kim Min-hyuk in the 22nd minute and Kim Tae-hwan in place of Seol Young-woo in the 26th minute for a ‘total war’.
However, Ulsan was unable to overcome Gwangju’s defense, where Lee Soon-min, Ahn Young-kyu, and Aaron were focused, and had to accept a 0-2 defeat at home. 토토사이트