Gangwon FC continued its unbeaten streak with a win over nemesis Ulsan HD.
Head coach Yoon Jeong-hwan’s side earned a 1-0 victory over Ulsan HD in the 13th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon on Sept. 19, thanks to a goal from Yago Cariello. Gangwon extended its unbeaten streak to three matches (2 W, 1 D) by overcoming a weak Daejeon Ulsan side that was facing an absolute disadvantage of three wins, five draws, and 27 losses in the all-time head-to-head. With 19 points (5 wins, 4 draws, 4 losses), 카지노사이트킴 Gangwon leapfrogged into fourth place in the league as of 6:30 p.m. ET.
Gangwon deployed a 4-4-2 formation with fullback Song Jun-seok in the left midfield. In defense, Song Jun-seok dropped down and Yoon Seok-young moved to the left stopper position to form a five-back, an unusual tactic. A series of defensive mistakes by Gangwon in the first half gave Ulsan the best chances of the game, but they failed to capitalize on them as their finishing proved problematic. The first half ended 0-0, with Kangwon’s attacks blocked by goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo.
At the start of the second half, Kangwon added Lee Sang-heon and Ulsan added Uhm Won-sang. However, neither team was able to capitalize on their chances in the second half. The solution was Yago. In the 21st minute of the second half, Kim Yi-seok stole the ball near the halfway line with strong pressure and passed the ball to Yago. Yago fired a low, left-footed mid-range shot from some distance in front of the arc that split the Ulsan goal with Cho Hyun-woo holding on. Yago’s fifth goal of the league.
The rest of the game saw Ulsan aggressively attacking for an equalizer, while Kangwon tried to counterattack for another goal. Kangwon was able to withstand the onslaught of Ulsan’s attacks, with Lee Kwang-yeon making a number of saves, and eventually secured the three valuable points.
Above all, it was a great achievement to keep a clean sheet against Ulsan, the league’s top scoring team. It was the first clean sheet in eight matches since April 3 against Daegu FC (3-0). It was a game where coach Yoon Jung-hwan’s unorthodox defensive tactics paid off.
Governor Kim Jin-tae, the owner of the club, who intuited the victory on the field, said, “It was the most heart-stopping and sweaty game until the end. “We made up for the disappointment of the last match against Daejeon Hana Citizens (3-3 draw),” he said. “We are scoring a lot of goals this season, and I think we are playing the most entertaining soccer among the 12 K League 1 clubs. I hope you will come to see many ‘honey jam’ Gangwon matches.