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Ulsan reclaim K League top spot as Suwon FC win the derby

Published: 13 Mar. 2023, 16:24 Updated: 13 Mar. 2023, 17:13

The Suwon Samsung Bluewings' Lee Ki-je, right, vies for the ball during a K League game against Suwon FC at Suwon Sports Complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Saturday. [K LEAGUE]

The Pohang Steelers ceded the top spot of the K League table to Ulsan Hyundai after an uninspiring 0-0 draw with Daejeon Hana Citizen over the weekend, while Suwon FC beat off local rivals the Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a close Suwon derby.

The Steelers, who had won two games in a row, picked up their first draw this season with the newly-promoted Daejeon side at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon on Saturday.

Both sides played aggressively from the beginning of the first half as they attempted to grab an early lead. Daejeon pressed hard and Lee Jin-hyun attempted a shot on target in the 29th minute, but found the hands of Steelers goalkeeper Hwang In-jae.

Daejeon continued to attack and found an opportunity in the box when Lee Jin-hyun snatched the ball from defender Ha Chang-rae in the 34th minute.

Ha, however, committed a foul to stop Lee Jin-hyun, which resulted in a red card for the defender after a VAR review.

The Pohang Steelers' Jeong Jae-hee in action during a K League game against Daejeon Hana Citizen at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon in a photo shared on the Steelers' official Instagram account on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Both sides made a few changes in attack with the Steelers being one man down, but neither found that breakthrough and the game ended goalless.

Although the two sides shared a point, Daejeon were more dominant in the game as they recorded 10 shots, half of which went on target. The Steelers, on the other hand, only managed three shots with zero on target.

Saturday’s game put the Steelers in second place with seven points — one position below Ulsan who recorded their third consecutive win on Sunday. Daejeon remained in fourth place with five points.

Meanwhile, the Suwon derby — Suwon FC facing the Suwon Samsung Bluewings — also took place at Suwon Sports Complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi on Saturday.

Suwon FC’s ace Lee Seung-woo was absent in the derby after receiving a red card in the previous game. Nevertheless, his team pulled off a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Lee Gwang-hyeok in the 40th minute and Murilo Henrique in the 52nd minute.

The Bluewings got on the scoresheet with Kim Kyung-jung’s goal in the 68th minute, but it was not enough to save his side.

Suwon FC climbed up to seventh place with four points, while their local rivals went down to 11th place with one point.

Over in Chuncheon, Gangwon, Gangwon FC and Daegu FC drew 1-1 on Saturday. Daegu dropped from eighth to ninth and last-place Gangwon retained their position on the table.

Sunday’s games offered more excitement for football fans as FC Seoul played Ulsan in the capital.

Jurgen Klinsmann, the Korean national football team’s new manager, watched the game in person as he was analyzing some of the K League players.

Jurgen Klinsmann, the Korean national football team's new manager, watches the K League game between FC Seoul and Ulsan Hyundai at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul on Sunday. [YONHAP]

FC Seoul’s Hwang Ui-jo started again alongside captain Stanislav Iljutcenko, but neither of them scored in the game.

Na Sang-ho instead opened the scoring in the 52nd minute for the capital side, but that lead was broken two minutes later following an equalizer from Joo Min-kyu. Lee Chung-yong, who came on in the 65th minute, then scored the winner in the 87th minute to end the game 2-1.

Ulsan Hyundai's Lee Chung-yong, left, shoots during a K League game against FC Seoul in Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo District, western Seoul on Sunday. [YONHAP]

Ulsan’s third victory of the season put them on top of the table with nine points, while the capital side went one position down to third.

Elsewhere in the league, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, earned their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Gwangju FC.

Last season’s top scorer Cho Gue-sung stayed quiet, but Moon Seon-min got on the scoreboard twice, lifting his side three positions up to sixth place. Gwangju, on the contrary, fell three positions to eighth.

Incheon United also faced Jeju United on Sunday and grabbed three points after Gerso Fernandes provided the only goal of the game. They moved two spots up to fifth, while Jeju United went four places down to 10th.

The fourth week of the K League starts on Saturday with the newly promoted Gwangju taking on Incheon United at home and the Steelers facing Gangwon in Pohang, North Gyeongsang.

Those matches will be followed by Jeju United playing FC Seoul in Jeju Island.

Jeonbuk will travel to Daegu to play ninth-place Daegu on Sunday, while the Bluewings take on Daejeon at their home stadium in Suwon.

The clash between league leaders Ulsan and Suwon FC in Ulsan will be the last game of the week.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]