Gwangju FC, the “nucleus of a gust of wind” in the top tier of professional soccer’s K League 1, defeated Ulsan Hyundai, the leading team challenging for the title for the second consecutive year.Gwangju defeated Ulsan 1-0 at home in the 34th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 Final A at Gwangju Football Stadium on Nov. 21, thanks to Lee Gun-hee’s first goal in the 42nd minute.Third-ranked Gwangju, which has won three straight games, has accumulated 57 points and narrowed the gap between itself and the second-ranked Pohang Steelers (59 points) to two points, revealing hopes of leapfrogging into second place.In particular, Gwangju showed its strength by winning its second straight match against Ulsan, following a 2-0 victory on September 3.
Ulsan, on the other hand, remained in first place (67 points), eight points ahead of Pohang, but has gone winless in its last three matches (two draws and one loss). Gwangju, with Heo Yul and Thomas up front and Uhm Ji-sung and Kim Han-gil on the flanks, came out firing from the start .Kim Han-gil’s left-footed shot from the right side of the penalty arc in the 7th minute and Heo Yul’s left-footed mid-range shot in the 18th minute were both blocked by Ulsan goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo. In the 27th minute, Lee Soon-min’s free kick from the left flank was met with a precise header by Aaron, but Cho Hyun-woo made a super save.
Ulsan mounted a formidable comeback after replacing U-22 resources Jang Si-young and Kang Yoon-koo in the starting flanks with Bako and Uhm Won-sang midway through the first half .The score remained 0-0 until the 33rd minute when veteran midfielder Lee Cheong-yong’s sharp mid-range shot from the right flank was saved by Lee Jun. The second half continued with fierce offense, but a goal was hard to come by amidst the ‘save show’ of both goalkeepers. In the 24th minute of the second half, Kim Ki-hee’s header in front of the goal was caught by Gwangju’s Uhm Ji Sung’s foot and Lee Joon’s hand before crossing the goal line, and in the 34th minute, Hoe-Sim’s right-footed shot from the right side of the goal area was also blocked by Lee Joon.
Ulsan pushed forward in the second half with substitutes Kim Ji-hyun, Lee Dong-kyung, and Seol Young-woo, but Gwangju broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute through Lee Lee-hee .Lee Hee-gyun’s precise through ball found Lee, who raced to the left side of the goal area and rattled the net with his left foot to give Gwangju the crucial three points. Lee, who started on the bench and was substituted in the 13th minute of the second half, shined as the 카지노사이트킹 protagonist of the preemptive final goal to catch the ‘giant’ Ulsan after last month’s match.