K-League 2 Busan IPark has advanced to the third round of the Korea Cup (formerly known as the FA Cup) after defeating K3 Ulsan Citizens Football Club in a penalty shootout. Busan will next face K League 1 Gimcheon Sangmu on March 17 for a spot in the round of 16.
Busan defeated Ulsan Citizens Football Club 4-2 on penalties in the second round of the 2024 Hana Bank Korea Cup on Thursday afternoon at the Busan Asiad Stadium 바카라사이트 after 120 minutes of 0-0 stalemate before extra time.
On the day, Busan struggled to find the back of the net against a stout defense from the lower league side. In the first half, Lopez and Pessin’s shots were straight at the goalkeeper, and they struggled to open the scoring. At the end of the first half, Busan head coach Park Jin-seob made a substitution, bringing on striker Ahn Byung-joon, in an attempt to create more offense.
After a scoreless first half, Busan had two more chances in the second half, as Ramas’ left-footed shot was saved by Lee Sun-il in the 11th minute and Chun Ji-hyun’s header in the 38th minute went over the bar. Both teams remained silent on the scoreboard in extra time.
In the ensuing penalty shootout, Busan was on the verge of defeat when the first kicker, Ramas, missed. However, goalkeeper Hwang Byung-geun saved the shots of the opponent’s 3-4 kickers, and Busan’s last kicker, Ahn Byung-joon, calmly converted the shot to end the tense match.
Meanwhile, on the same day, K2 Bucheon FC and Suwon Samsung advanced to the next round with 2-1 victories over K3 Busan Transportation Corporation and K4 Jeonju Citizens Football Club, respectively.
In the other second-round match on March 23, K4 Jinju Min Football Club defeated K2 Chungnam Asan 1-0 in an upset. In the K3 League head-to-head, Cho Deok-je’s FC Mokpo defeated Changwon FC 1-0. K3 Gimhae City Hall defeated K4 Pyeongtaek Citizen 5-1 thanks to a multi-goal performance from Shim Min-yong and goals from Jung Jung-woon, Jung Sang-kyu, and Cho Woo-jin.
The rest of the K League 2 teams, including Gimpo FC, Ansan Greeners, FC Anyang, and Gyeongnam FC, advanced to the third round with upset victories over lower league teams. Seoul E-Land defeated K3 Daejeon Korail on penalties to set up a “Seoul Derby” with K1 FC Seoul in the next round.
The Korea Cup, meanwhile, is the top tournament in South Korean soccer, both professional and amateur, and was renamed this year from the Korea Football Association (FA) Cup. The Korea Football Association has been using the name FA Cup since the tournament’s inception in 1996, but the name is the same as England’s FA Cup, and the need for a name change has been a constant concern, as the Korean soccer tournament has lost its identity.
In addition to the name, there have been some changes in the way the tournament is organized. The semifinals have been single-legged and the final has been home-and-away, but from this year, the semifinals will be home-and-away and the final will be a single-legged tie at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
