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| Photo = Korean Professional Football League |
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| Photo = Korean Professional Football League |
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| Photo = Korean Professional Football League |
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Gwangju FC secured the victory by catching the Pohang Steelers with a dramatic winning goal.
Gwangju won 1-0 in the 14th round of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2025' held at Pohang Steelyard on the 18th.
It was a showdown between the two teams aiming to leap to the top. Pohang (19 points) and Gwangju (19 points), which are ranked 5th and 6th, respectively, had to take three points to narrow the gap with the top ranks. The gap with the teams in pursuit, such as 7th place Gangwon (18 points) and 8th place Anyang (17 points), was not large, so victory was needed.
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| Photo = Korean Professional Football League |
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| Photo = Korean Professional Football League |
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After six undefeated matches, Pohang, the home team, lost 1-2 against Jeju, breaking the flow, and there was a deviation in its performance every game. It was a disappointing performance to rise with two wins, one draw and two losses in the last five league games. The biggest problem was injury. Pohang has recently left even Auberdan due to injury, continuing problems due to the injury gap this season. In order to change the atmosphere, the difficult task of solving the injury gap and maintaining the performance was ahead.
Gwangju, the away team, also had a similar trend. Gwangju, which had been undefeated at the beginning of the season and rose to second place, has only won and lost two games in the last five games. It was a sluggish trend with one win, one draw and two losses in four official matches after losing 0-7 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE). Victory was desperate for the top-ranked competition.
Pohang coach Park Tae-ha pulled out a 4-4-2 formation. Lee Ho-jae, Jo Sang-hyuk, and Jungwon were built by Giorgi, Shin Kwang-hoon, Kim Dong-jin, and Juningyo on the two-top. Lee Tae-seok, Han Hyun-seo, Jeon Min-gwang, and Eo Jeong-won were located in Fourbaek. The goalkeeper's gloves were worn by Hwang In-jae.
Gwangju coach Lee Jung-hyo faced off with a 4-4-2 formation. Hayes and Gabriel are at the forefront, and Jung Ji-hoon, Park Tae-joon, Lee Kang-hyun and Asani are at the center field. The defense was formed by Kim Jin-ho, Jin Si-woo and Byun Jun-su. Kim Kyung-min defended the goal.
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| Photo = Korean Professional Football League |
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| Photo = Korean Professional Football League |
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Since the beginning of the first half, the two teams have been fiercely competing. Kim Jin-ho was injured in the third minute of the first half, and Kim Han-gil was put in. The attack was opened by Giorgi of Pohang. In the fifth minute of the first half, Giorgi personally entered the box after breaking through the left and attempted a left-footed shot. Giorgi's shot didn't get caught on defense, but it flowed to the side of the net. Pohang shook Gwangju's defense with Juninho and Giorgi's active breakthrough from the side. In the 22nd minute of the first half, Lee Ho-jae and Juningyo drilled the right side through a counterattack, and Juningyo scored a sharp cross, but it was caught by Gwangju's defense.
Gwangju is not behind either. In the 25th minute of the first half, Hayes tried to raise the ball that Jung Ji-hoon gave to Hayes to the gate but was blocked by Pohang's defense. In the 26th minute of the first half, Kim Han-gil's mid-range shot from a long distance missed the goal. In the 27th minute of the first half, Jung Ji-hoon's attempt to shoot a mid-range shot in front of the penalty box also turned away from the goal.
Pohang aimed for Gwangju's back space based on counterattacks. In the 30th minute of the first half, Giorgi advanced in front of the opponent's box through a counterattack and aimed for an opportunity. It was a threatening breakthrough that Cho Sung-kwon had no choice but to stop with a foul. Giorgi also tried to shoot from the front of the box in the ensuing attack, but it went out of the goal. In the 38th minute of the first half, Lee Ho-jae tried to shoot a volley after trapping the ball bounced from the box with his chest, but headed straight to the goalkeeper. In the 44th minute of the first half, Kim Dong-jin advanced to the right side of the penalty box arc and attempted a left-footed shot, but was caught by Kim Kyung-min.
Pohang dramatically overcame the loss crisis just before the end of the first half. The referee declared a penalty after a video review of Giorgi's foul on Asani in the box in the extra time of the first half. However, Hwang In-jae blocked Asani's shot as a kicker. Along with dramatic saves, Pohang fans' enthusiastic shouts filled the steel yard.
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| Photo = Korean Professional Football League |
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| Photo = Korean Professional Football League (KFA) b |
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In the second half, Pohang also sought an opportunity first. In the fifth minute of the second half, Eo Jung-won drove the ball directly from the half line and beat defenders to enter the Gwangju box. However, the last shot was caught by Gwangju's defense. Gwangju also threatened Pohang's defense. In the 11th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-hyun's mid-range shot greatly missed the goal.
Jorge failed to take advantage of a golden opportunity. Giorgi, who pressed the defense to catch the ball near the Gwangju box in the 17th minute of the second half, entered the box and had a one-on-one opportunity, but the shot was blocked by Kim Kyung-min's leg and failed to score. Giorgi also created an opportunity with a sharp cross from the left in the 23rd minute of the second half, but he couldn't reach the Pohang strikers who were waiting at the gate. Pohang attempted to shoot in the 38th minute of the second half when Kang Hyun-je took a chance in the deep right side of the penalty area, but even this turned away from the post.
Gwangju took the lead with a dramatic last-minute score. In the 45th minute of the second half, Park In-hyuk, who came to the gate in a free kick situation, finished by pushing in with a header. He beat the defense perfectly and scored the goal accurately.
In the end, the game ended with Gwangju's 1-0 victory.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
