The struggling Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors failed to escape the relegation zone after another sending off.
The team, led by head coach Kim Doo-hyun, was outnumbered when new captain Park Jin-seob received a red card in the 23rd round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 against Gimcheon Commerce at the Gimcheon Sports Complex on Thursday. They were unable to capitalize and lost 0-4.
Jeonbuk beat Jeju United 2-1 in their previous match. It was the first win for the club since Kim Doo-hyun took over as head coach, but they were unable to extend their winning streak. Jeonbuk remained in 11th place out of 12 teams (W4 D8 L11 D20).
Gimcheon, on the other hand, reclaimed the lead at the top of the table (12 wins, 7 draws, 4 losses, 43 points) with a victory over Jeonbuk after a two-match winless streak.
Gimcheon started the match in a 4-3-3 formation. Kim Dong-heon was in goal, while Park Dae-won, Kim Bong-soo, Park Seung-wook, and Park Soo-il formed the defense. The midfield consisted of Min Min-woo, Lee Dong-kyung, and Meng Sung-woong, with Choi Ki-yoon and Mo Jae-hyun on the flanks and Mo Jae-hyun up front.
Jeonbuk countered with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Park Chang-woo, Park Jin-seob, Hong Jeong-ho, and Kim Tae-hwan formed the defense, with Kim Jung-hoon in goal. Lee Soo-bin and Hankook Young protected the defense in the third line. The second line consisted of Jeon Byung-kwan, Lee Young-jae, Hernandez, and Thiago in the front line.
Gimcheon broke the tense flow first. In the 26th minute, Choi Ki-yoon rushed from the center and entered the box. Hong Jung-ho’s tackle tripped Choi Ki-yoon and a penalty kick was awarded. The referee checked the situation again on the on-field monitor, but there was no change.
Gimcheon took the lead when Lee Dong-kyung, who had just joined the team after playing for Ulsan, converted a penalty kick.
Jeonbuk was in the worst possible situation after conceding a goal and being outnumbered. In the 33rd minute, Park Jin-seop, who was near the halfway line, hit Yoo Kang-hyun with his arm while turning.
The initial call was a warning, but the referee communicated with the VAR room and checked the on-field monitor. After checking again, the referee canceled the warning and showed a red card, resulting in a direct dismissal for Park.
Down to 10 men, Jeonbuk made a defensive change in the 41st minute by removing Lee Young-jae and adding Boa-Tin. After that, the game continued with 안전놀이터 Gimcheon’s offense.
Four minutes of first-half stoppage time were awarded. Gimcheon failed to add another goal and the first half ended with a score of 1-0.
At the start of the second half, Jeonbuk brought on Kim Jin-soo and Yoo Je-ho and took off Kim Tae-hwan and Lee Soo-bin. Park Chang-woo moved to right defense and Kim Jin-soo moved to left defense.
Gimcheon’s offense continued in the second half. In the fourth minute of the second half, Mo Jae-hyun attempted a mid-range shot from outside the box that was deflected and narrowly saved by Jeonbuk goalkeeper Kim Jung-hoon.
Outnumbered, Jeonbuk was forced to spend more time on defense. Gimcheon kept possession of the ball and looked for counterattack opportunities.
Gimcheon made a change in the 14th minute of the second half, removing Mo Jae-hyun and Yoo Kang-hyun and introducing Kim Dae-won and Park Sang-hyuk.
Gimcheon scored another goal. In the 24th minute, Kim Dae-won rattled the net with a header off Park Seung-wook’s cross from the left side.
In the 31st minute, Park Sang-hyuk connected an early cross from the left with a diving header that Kim Jung-hoon reacted to save in front of him. Jeonbuk struggled in the second half as substitute Jeon Jin-woo took his first shot on goal for Jeonbuk in the 37th minute.
Gimcheon had another attempt on goal in the 40th minute when Kim Dae-won headed in a cross from the right side, but this time Kim Jung-hoon made the save.
Jeonbuk tried to attack again through Jeon Jin-woo and substitute Moon Sun-min, but the Gimcheon defense was focused and unable to make an impact.
Six minutes of second-half stoppage time were awarded. Gimcheon made it 3-0 in the 47th minute of stoppage time when Park Sang-hyuk headed in a cross from the left side to make it 3-0 and put the game out of reach. Meng Sung-woong then added a fourth goal to complete the rout of Jeonbuk.
At the same time, Gwangju FC and Incheon United played at the Gwangju Football Stadium, with Yonichi’s 43rd-minute goal and Gabriel’s 38th-minute own goal giving Incheon a 2-0 win. It was Incheon’s second win since parting ways with coach Cho Sung-hwan.
Suwon FC and Daegu FC met at the Suwon Sports Complex, with Suwon FC scoring a dramatic equalizer to earn a 2-2 draw.
Ji Dong-won headed home Andersson’s cross in the 42nd minute to give the visitors the lead, but Edgar equalized eight minutes into the second half and Park Se-jin pulled one back in the 20th minute. Suwon FC, however, scored a dramatic equalizer in the 44th minute when Kwon Kyung-won took advantage of a mistake by the opposing goalkeeper to slot home a header.