1-0 win over Suwon third straight Super Match win
Acting coach Kim Jin-kyu reports first win in two games ‘leap to third place’
Pohang defeats Incheon 2-0
FC Seoul had the last laugh in the third supermatch of the professional soccer K League 1 (1st Division) season.
Ilyuchenko scored the winning goal to give Seoul a 1-0 victory over Suwon Samsung in the 29th round of the Hana OneQ K League 2023 at Suwon World Cup Stadium 한국야동 on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, their first in seven games, Seoul leapfrogged from sixth to third place in the league (43-11 points, 10 wins, 8 draws).
Acting coach Kim Jin-gyu, who made his debut in charge of Seoul against Ulsan Hyundai (2-2 draw) on March 27, recorded his second win in two games in the Super Match.
Seoul has also won all three of its Super Matches this season. Their overall record is 42 wins, 25 draws and 35 losses.
Suwon, who had previously lost 0-4 to Gwangju FC in the 28th round, fell to their second straight defeat in the Super Match.
With 22 points (5 W, 7 D, 16 L), 11th-ranked Suwon failed to close the gap on last-place Gangwon FC (21 points).
The hosts deployed a 3-4-3 formation. Ahn Byung-joon was the center of the front line, followed by Bassani and Acosti. In the middle, Lee Jong-seong partnered with Ko Seung-beom, who was unavailable due to injury. The left and right wingbacks were Kim Tae-hwan and Lee Ki-jae.
The three backs were Han Ho-gang, Kim Joo-won, and Park Dae-won. Yang Hyung-mo wore the goalkeeping gloves.
The away team, Seoul, also used a 3-4-3 formation. Ilyuchenko, Na Sang-ho, and Kim Kyung-min formed the back three, with veteran Go Yo-han in the middle alongside Ki Sung-yong, Palosevic, 성인웹툰 and Kim Jin-ya.
It’s been about a year and five months since Ko started against the Pohang Steelers (1-1 draw) in April last year.
Kim Joo-sung, Osmar, and Park Soo-il formed the back three, with Choi Chul-won in goal.
Seoul broke the deadlock with a goal from Ilyuchenko in the first minute of play. He controlled Park Soo-il’s cross with his chest before falling down and slotting home with his right foot. It was his second goal in as many games, extending his league tally to four.
In the 22nd minute, Palošević’s pass found Kim Kyung-min, who slipped in and fired a right-footed shot just wide of the goal.
Suwon’s best threat came in first-half stoppage time when Ahn Byung-joon headed home a free kick from Lee Ki-jae off a set piece. But even then, he headed wide of the goal.
Seoul, who controlled the game with 52% of the possession, attempted seven shots in the first half alone, with three on target. Suwon, however, had two shots, both on target.
At the start of the second half, both teams pulled out their substitutions. Seoul brought on Kim Kyung-min and Go Yo-han, and brought on Ji Dong-won and Han Seung-kyu at the same time in search of an extra goal. Suwon bolstered their midfield with Kazuki replacing Basani.
Suwon finally found the back of the net in the 11th minute when Go rattled the Seoul net, but the goal was disallowed after Acosti was caught offside earlier.
With no further goals, Seoul brought on Willian and Suwon brought on Mulicic to further push the attack.
The attack came alive in the second half, but Suwon’s finishing was lacking. In the 26th minute, Kazuki’s left-footed shot hit Osmar’s arm, but the referee deemed there was no intent and the game continued.
The substitutions continued. Suwon brought on Jeon Jin-woo in the 31st minute and Seoul brought on Bjorn Johnson in the 33rd minute.
Suwon continued to push forward, and Seoul was saved by goalkeeper Choi Chul-won. In the 42nd minute, he saved a left-footed free kick from Lee Ki-jae, and in the 43rd minute, he saved a shot from Mullich.
Suwon lost momentum in the second half with a late sending-off. In the 45th minute, defender Han Ho-gang made a rough tackle on Seoul’s Ji Dong-won, prompting the referee to show a red card.
In the end, there were no more goals, and the game ended with a 1-0 victory for Seoul.
Meanwhile, during the Super Match, a fan collapsed in the away end of Seoul’s stands, causing the game to be suspended for about five minutes before resuming.
In the 22nd minute of the first half, a female fan in Seoul collapsed in the heat with breathing difficulties, and two medical trainers on the Seoul bench rushed to the stands to give her first aid.
The fan regained consciousness and was transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance, accompanied by Seoul club staff.
Pohang Steelers won 2-0 against Incheon United thanks to penalty kick relay goals from Zeca and Wandelsson.
With their 14th win (W11 D4 L53), second-placed Pohang closed the gap on leaders Ulsan (W61) to eight points. Incheon (10 wins, 10 draws, 9 losses, 40 points) remained in seventh place.
After a 0-0 first half, Pohang took the lead 18 minutes into the second half on a penalty kick from Zeca, 19가이드03 and Wandelsson scored again from the penalty spot in the 41st minute to seal the deal.
