Daegu FC won with a dramatic winning goal, saving hope for staying.
Daegu won 1-0 in the 36th round of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2025' against Gwangju FC at Daegu iM Bank PARK on the 8th.
The 12th-ranked Daegu (32 points) narrowed the gap with the 11th-ranked Jeju (35 points) to three points by winning the match. The two teams are set to face off in the next round. There is also a good chance that the ranking will be reversed depending on the victory or defeat.
In Daegu, Cesinha was eventually excluded from the list in an urgent situation. Cesinha is known to have been given painkillers in the previous game due to a severe back injury. Jung Jae-sang and Kim Joo-gong at the front line, Giovanni Hwang Jae-won and Kim Jung-hyun politicians at the midfield, and Kim Hyun-joon, Woo Joo-sung, Kim Kang-san and Chung Hyun-taek at the defense. Han Tae-hee defended the goal.
In Gwangju, Choi Kyung-rok and Hayes built a two-top, Ahn Hyuk-joo, Yoo Je-ho, Joo Se-jong, Min-seo, and Shim Sang-min, Jin Si-woo, Byun Jun-su, were in the midfield. Kim Kyung-min wore goalkeeper gloves.
Gwangju gained momentum from the beginning of the first half. In the fifth minute of the first half, Moon Min-seo broke through the defense and penetrated to aim for the goal with his right foot. The ball was blocked by a good defense and unfortunately flowed to the net.
Daegu was not just being pushed back. In the 13th minute of the first half, a politician got a foul in the process of breaking through from the left and took a free kick chance in a good position. Unfortunately, no player finished the ball with a shot in front of the goal in the ensuing free kick. In the 15th minute of the first half, the politician even got a corner kick if he shook his opponent with a bold breakthrough from the left. The ball from the corner hit Woo Joo-sung's head but went wide of the net.
Daegu sought opportunities through counterattacks centered on defense, and Gwangju wanted to create chances by stably owning the ball. However, the attacks of the two teams did not pay off until the first half was completed. The first half ended 0-0.
Even in the second half, the two teams worked hard for the opportunity. In the 8th minute of the first half, Shin Chang-moo crossed sharply into the box but was caught by Han Tae-hee. Daegu tried to finish the kick into the box in the 13th minute of the second half, but Giovanni failed to touch it and failed to lead to a shot.
Daegu excluded politicians and Giovanni in the 14th minute of the second half, and put in Ramas and Edgar to strengthen the attack for victory. Daegu tried to finish the cross from the side with a bicycle kick by Park Dae-hoon in the 16th minute of the second half, but it was not properly affected and Kim Kyung-min caught the ball.
Daegu maintained its offensive. In the 32nd minute of the second half, Hwang Jae-won's cross from the right was connected by Edgar with a header, but it floated high and failed to head to the goal. In the 35th minute of the second half, Ramas attempted a left-footed mid-range shot from far away from the box, but headed to the side of the net. A crucial opportunity has been blocked. In the 40th minute of the second half, Edgar calmly received the ball with his chest in the box and attempted a good shot, but the ball hit the post as it was. It was such a disappointing opportunity that head coach Kim Byung-soo, who was watching the situation, hugged his face. In the 45th minute of the second half, Ramas' shot in front of the box was also caught by Kim Kyung-min. Cesinha, who was watching it from the stands after missing a disappointing opportunity, was even caught desperately putting his hands together and praying.
Daegu scored a miraculous goal just before the end of the game. Kim Hyun-joon, who was rushing from the back of the defense with a cross from the left side in the fourth minute of extra time in the second half, scored a goal by pushing it from the gate. Daegu won 1-0 with a theater goal.
In the match held at the Jeju World Cup Stadium at the same time, FC Anyang defeated Jeju SK 2-1 to confirm its remaining status. In the 32nd minute of the first half, Yukichi, who received Mota's pass, scored the first goal, and in the 14th minute of the second half, Yukichi, who once again received Mateus' pass, pushed it in from the gate and scored an additional goal. Afterwards, Jeju scored a comeback goal in the 3rd minute of extra time in the second half, but failed to close the gap of one goal and lost.
8th place Anyang (48 points) widened the gap with 9th place Ulsan (41 points), which played one less game, and also moved away from 10th place Suwon FC (39 points). In the rest of the schedule, Ulsan will lose 2 wins and 1 draw or more, and Anyang will fall to 10th place only when Suwon FC wins. However, with the game remaining between the two teams, neither team can meet the conditions. As a result, Anyang has confirmed that it will remain in the K League 1 regardless of the future results.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
