This time, even Ulsan, the league leader, swallowed up. Gwangju, led by head coach Lee Jung-hyo, won 2-0 in Ulsan Hyundai’s away match in the 29th round of the “Hana One Q K League 1 2023” at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan at 4:30 p.m. on the 3rd. As a result, Gwangju, which has been undefeated in nine games, scored 45 points and succeeded in jumping to third place in the league. No. 1 Ulsan (61 points) is being chased by Pohang (53 points) by eight points.
In the 4-2-3-1 formation, Ulsan put Martin Adam in front and Baco, Kim Min-hyuk, and Rubik’sson in the second line. Lee Dong-kyung and Lee Kyu-sung were in charge of the midfield, while Lee Myung-jae, Kim Young-kwon, Jung Seung-hyun and Seol Young-woo were in charge of the four-back, and Cho Hyun-woo was in charge of the goalkeeper’s gloves.Gwangju pulled out a 4-4-2. Lee Kun-hee, Becca Two-Top, Ha Seung-woon, Lee Hee-kyun, Jung Ho-yeon, and Kim Han-gil were in the midfield. Lee Min-ki, Lee Soon-min, Ahn Young-kyu and Doo Hyun-seok defended the defense, and Kim Kyung-min defended the goal. 스포츠토토
Ulsan took the lead by calmly increasing its share in the rear. However, Gwangju showed dynamic movements, strong pressure, and tenacity, and set the line high to fight back. Based on this, Gwangju scored the first goal in the 17th minute of the first half. Ha Seung-woon led the opponent’s mistake in the midfield ball competition. When the ball flowed next to Jung Seung-hyun, Lee Kun-hee, who penetrated from the penalty box, beat goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo and finished with his left foot.
Ulsan strengthened its offense and increased the time to own the ball in the Gwangju camp. Lee Myung-jae in the 29th minute of the first half and Baco’s effective shot in the 30th minute did not lead to a goal. Gwangju excluded Lee Min-ki, who was injured, and put Aaron in the 35th minute of the first half. Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo tried to turn the game around by replacing winger Um Won-sang instead of Lee Dong-kyung at the start of the second half. However, Gwangju rather ran away with a goal in the early second half. In the 9th minute of the second half, Lee Hee-kyun’s shot hit the defense and came out, and Becca’s fantastic right-footed shot in front of the penalty box arc perfectly broke goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo.
Immediately, Ulsan switched to attack-oriented tactics with Joo Min-kyu and Lee Chung-yong. However, it failed to effectively penetrate Gwangju’s defense. Martin Adam’s header missed the goal in the 21st minute of the second half. When Ulsan put in Boyanichi, Gwangju also responded to Ulsan’s changes by putting in afternoon and Lee Sang-ki. Ulsan had to swallow its disappointment in the 31st minute of the second half when Joo Min-kyu’s decisive header was blocked by goalkeeper Kim Kyung-min. Um Won-sang and Baco’s shots in the 38th and 41st minutes of the second half were also useless, respectively. Gwangju’s systematic defense remained steady for 90 minutes. In the end, it was Gwangju who caught a large fish in the Ulsan expedition.
Gwangju was promoted to K League 1 last season by topping the K League 2 (second division). However, the outlook was not bright. It was unclear whether coach Lee Jung-hyo, who experienced the K League 1 for the first time, would work.
Even coach Lee Jung-hyo doesn’t play defensive football just because he is a weak team. Rather, instead of avoiding back passes, the concept is organic passes and straight and fast attack soccer. These tactics, which could be reckless, are working perfectly, blowing fresh air into the K League.
So far, coach Lee Jung-hyo’s soccer has fully blossomed. He lost both of his previous two matches against Ulsan, the leader of the K League this season, but succeeded in getting revenge perfectly on the same day. It is the first victory against Ulsan in eight years since the away match (1-0) on July 11, 2015.
Even Timo’s injury breakaway, Heo Yul and Asani, a key resource in defense, were absent due to accumulated warnings, and Um Ji-sung, who is in charge of the second-line side, was transferred to the Olympic team. It was meaningful in that coach Lee Jung-hyo fought back against Ulsan and took the victory despite the absence of a large number of key players.
Gwangju, which has won its 12th game of the season, broke the record for the most wins in the club’s history. Above all, it is positive that Gwangju’s rise continues until the final round. With four wins and five draws in the last nine games, it’s been a long time since I forgot how to lose. Gwangju, which has risen to third place as of the 29th round, can also expect to advance to the Asian Champions League (ACL) beyond the Final A.