‘Chung Hyo-bol’ showed its power from the first match. Gwangju FC dominated FC Seoul’s ‘maneuvering magic’ to claim victory in front of a packed home crowd.
Gwangju kicked off the new season with a bang, defeating Seoul 2-0 in the first round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at the Gwangju Football Stadium at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Gwangju started with a 4-4-2 formation. Lee Hee-gyun-Ik-eun-hee, Ahn Hyuk-joo-Jung Ho-yeon-Choi Kyung-rok-Gabriel, Kim Jin-ho-Popovic-Ahn Young-kyu-Doo Hyun-seok, and Kim Kyung-min started.
Seoul went with a 4-3-3 formation. Cho Young-wook, Kim Shin-jin, Kang Sung-jin, Ki Sung-yong, Palosevic, Han Seung-kyu, Kim Jin-yah, Kim Joo-sung, Kwon Wan-kyu, Park Dong-jin, and Choi Cheol-won started. Lingard waited on the bench to start.
Gwangju pushed forward from the start. In the sixth minute, Gabriel cut off a pass on the right flank, fell down, and sent in a cross. Ahn Hyuk-ju ran onto the ball and connected with a shot that was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 12th minute, 안전놀이터 Lee Eun-hee’s header was easily saved by the goalkeeper.
Gwangju finally took the lead with a nice attacking move.
In the 21st minute, after a steady buildup from the defensive zone, Gwangju pressured Seoul with left fullback Doo Hyun-seok. He picked up the ball near the box and cut the ball to the side, where Lee Hee-hee connected with a mid-range shot that split the net. It was the first goal of the season for Gwangju.
With the lead in hand, Lee Jung-hyo brought on Ahn Hyuk-joo in the 22nd minute and introduced Uhm Ji-sung. Gwangju continued to push forward with strong pressure and sharp counterattacks. Choi Kyung-rok’s shot from a counterattack in the 28th minute was blocked by the defense’s physical defense, and Lee Hee-gyun’s mid-range shot in the 31st minute was caught by the goalkeeper’s fingertips.
Seoul tried to center the game around Ki Sung-yong’s accurate passing, but it was not to be. Seoul finally got a shot on target. In the 39th minute, Kwon Wan-kyu got his head on a cross from Kang Sung-jin’s left foot. However, the ball went wide left of the goal.
In the final minutes of the first half, both teams exchanged threatening attacks. In the second minute of first-half stoppage time, Cho Young-wook collected the ball on the left side of the box and aimed for the corner of the goal with a right-footed curling kick. But Popovic was there to make the save.
Gwangju was also disappointed.
In the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, Kim Jin-ho connected with a bold mid-range shot off a loose ball after a corner kick. The ball deflected off the defense and looked like it was going into the goal, but it went just wide. The first half ended with Gwangju leading 1-0 after eight shots on goal.
Needing a goal, coach Kim Ki-dong made a change up front at the start of the second half, taking off Kim Shin-jin and Cho Young-wook and bringing on Kim Kyung-min and Il Ryuchenko. In the fifth minute of the second half, Korea won the ball under pressure from a high position, and Ki Sung-yong fired a sharp shot. However, Kim Kyung-min got a hand on it and cleared it away.
The game continued to be intense. In the eighth minute of the second half, Um Ji-sung received a forward pass from Lee Hee-gyun and shot, but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 12th minute, Palošević’s shot was tackled by Popović.
‘The biggest name in the K League’ Lingard made his K League debut. Coach Kim Ki-dong substituted Lingard for Kim Kyung-min in the 22nd minute of the second half to try to equalize.
Before the game,
Kim Ki-dong said that Lingard wasn’t feeling well and hoped he wouldn’t have to play him. But when the game didn’t go his way, he had to make a decision. Lee Jung-hyo’s declaration that he would take Lingard off after scoring became a reality.
Lingard wasted no time in getting on the scoresheet, attempting a left-footed mid-range shot from near the box in the 23rd minute, but the ball sailed well over the bar. Lingard nearly recorded an assist in the 39th minute off a cross from the right side, but Ilyuchenko’s header was saved by the goalkeeper.
Seoul was unable to open the Gwangju goal in the end. Ilyuchenko’s header and Kwon Wan-kyu’s shot in stoppage time were both off target. Instead, 토토사이트 추천 Gwangju sealed the match with Gabriel’s second goal in stoppage time off a corner kick. The match ended with a 2-0 victory for Gwangju.