 |
| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
|
 |
| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
|
Jeonbuk Hyundai won the opening game of the K League in the 2025 season with a thrilling come-from-behind victory.
Jeonbuk came from behind to win 2-1 in the first round of the 2025 K League 1 against Gimcheon Sangmu at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on the 16th. Kimcheon Yoo Kang-hyun scored the first goal in the 13th minute of the first half, but he balanced it with Park Jin-seop's equalizer in the 50th minute of the first half, and Jeon Jin-woo's header came from behind in the 35th minute of the second half. Jeonbuk, which barely managed to stay in the 10th place in the promotion playoff last year, switched to coach Gus Foye and defeated Port FC (Thailand) 4-0 in the Asian Champions League 2 (ACL2) and continued its good atmosphere by winning the home opener.
 |
| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
|
 |
| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
|
Coach Foyet, who came out with a 4-3-3 formation, put Andrea Compagno at the forefront and formed an offensive team that placed Jeon Jin-woo and Song Min-gyu on the left and right sides of the second line. Lee Seung-woo, Lee Young-jae, and Han Kook-young stood in the midfield. Kim Young-bin and Choi Woo-jin were newly deployed, with Kim Tae-hwan taking over the right side and Park Jin-seop as center backs. Song Bum-keun defended the goal.
Manager Jeong Jeong-yong of Gimcheon faced off with a 4-4-2 formation. Yoo Kang-hyun and Lee Dong-kyung formed a two-top, and Kim Seung-seop, Seo Min-woo, Kim Bong-soo, and Lee Seung-won formed the midfield. Cho Hyun-taek, Park Chan-yong, Park Seung-wook and Park Soo-il stood in the back, and Kim Dong-hyun stood at the goal.
Jeonbuk took the first chance. In the fifth minute of the first half, Compagno was caught in the process of turning the opponent's defender's back from the right side of the arc and fell and got a foul. Lee Young-jae tried to shoot with his left foot as a free kicker, but he was blocked by the Gimcheon defensive wall and couldn't head to the goal.
 |
| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
|
 |
| ◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
|
Gimcheon took the first goal. In the 13th minute of the first half, Jeonbuk's defense failed to clear properly, and Yoo Kang-hyun, who was rushing a low left-footed cross from the right side of the penalty area, hit the net with his right foot in front of the gate and changed direction.
Jeonbuk continued its dominant ball possession, but had a hard time attacking the gap in Gimcheon, which had a close defense while narrowing the line. In the 29th minute of the first half, Park Jin-seop headed a left-footed cross from Lee Young-jae's corner kick opportunity from the left side of the Gimcheon camp in front of the gate, and Jeon Jin-woo pushed it from the right side of the gate, but it was handled explicitly when Park Jin-seop's foul was declared.
In the 35th minute of the first half, Jeon Jin-woo fell trying to catch a ball that Compagno gave away with his right foot from the right side of the box, but no penalty was given as VAR checks proved to be a normal defense. Gimcheon sought an additional goal chance with a counterattack, but luck did not follow, with Lee Dong-kyung's no-mark chance left-footed shot from the right side of the box crossing the crossbar in the 42nd minute of the first half.
 |
| Jeonju World Cup Stadium/ K League1/ Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors vs. Kimcheon Sangmu Professional Football Team/ Jeonbuk Park Jin-seop Score, Jeon Jin-woo/ Goal Ceremony/ Photo by Kwak Dong-hyuk |
|
In the end, Jeonbuk tied the game. After five minutes of extra time in the first half, Park Jin-seop, who participated in the attack, finished with a right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty box by Song Min-gyu, who quickly connected a free-kick opportunity obtained from the right side of the Gimcheon camp's arc.
Early in the second half, Jeonbuk heated up the atmosphere as Kim Tae-hwan showed active activity on the right side. In the 10th minute of the second half, Song Min-gyu's right footed shot from the left side of the penalty box popped out against the goal post, raising expectations for a turnaround.
Coach Foyet tried to change first. In the 17th minute of the second half, Compagno Song Min-gyu was excluded and Thiago Jeon Byeong-gwan was put in. Coach Chung Jung-yong replaced Kim Dae-won in the 28th minute of the second half instead of Kim Seung-seop.
 |
| Jeonju World Cup Stadium/ K League1/ Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors vs. Gimcheon Sangmu Football Team/ Jeonbuk Jin-woo/ Photo by Kwak Dong-hyuk |
|
Jeonbuk opened its attack around a cross connecting from the side. Eventually, a reverse shot broke out in the 35th minute of the second half. Jeonbuk, which cut off the ball that the Gimcheon defense failed to clear properly, turned the game around 2-1 when Jeon Jin-woo connected with a header from the left side of the goal with a long right foot cross from the right side.
Even after the turnaround, Jeonbuk tried to attack based on its dominant possession and aimed for a net goal. Gimcheon, which effectively blocked Jeonbuk's offensive by pressing in the first half, failed to create an efficient scene due to its physical deterioration. In the end, Jeonbuk finished the game with a one-goal come-from-behind victory, finishing with 19,619 spectators' applause.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
