Incheon United and Pohang Steelers played to a 1-1 draw in a tightly contested match in the first leg of the Final Round.
Pohang and Incheon faced off in the 34th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Pohang Steelyard. It was the first matchup of the final round between second-ranked Pohang (58 points) and sixth-ranked Incheon (48 points). Pohang was looking to close the gap on league leader Ulsan Hyundai (67 points). Incheon was looking to qualify for the 카지노사이트 Asian Champions League. Both teams were desperate for three points.
The result was a 1-1 draw. Gerso’s sensational strike in the first half gave Incheon the lead, but Zeca equalized from the penalty spot in the second half to send the general into a tizzy. Both teams shared a point.
The home team Pohang deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation with Zeca up front. Kim Seung-dae, Go Young-joon, and Jung Jae-hee were in the second line. Jung Jae-hee made his comeback after a six-month absence following an early-season injury. Han Chan-hee and Kim Jun-ho supported the back line, while Park Seung-wook, Park Chan-yong, Ha Chang-rae, and Shin Kwang-hoon formed the back four. Hwang In-jae was in goal.
Incheon countered with a 3-5-2. Gerso and Hernandez were the two foreign strikers. Min Kyung-hyun, Kim Do-hyuk, Lee Myung-joo, Mpoku, and Kim Jun-yup filled out the midfield. Oh Ban-seok, Kim Dong-min, and Kim Yeon-soo were the three backs, and Kim Dong-heon was the goalkeeper.
Pohang attacked early in the first half and eventually rattled the Incheon goal in the 21st minute. Han Chan-hee won the ball in the box and beat the defense before firing a right-footed shot, but goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon punched it away. The rebounded ball was pushed in by Jung Jae-hee, who made his first start in a long time. However, video assistant referee (VAR) showed that Jung was offside and the goal was disallowed.
After surviving the crisis, Incheon responded with a goal. 26th minute. Goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon’s long pass reached Gerso on the right side of the front line. At this time, Pohang goalkeeper Hwang In-jae cleared his goal and came forward to take the ball, but he was hit by Jerso’s personal attack. After beating Hwang In-Jae, Jerso fired an exquisite shot with his left foot toward the goal. The Wuzhou Gongshan goal was wide open.
Pohang led the attack in the first half, but was caught by a counterattack. In the end, Incheon led 1-0 at halftime.
In the second half, Pohang took off Jung Jae-hee and brought on Kim In-sung. The bench was busy searching for a goal. In the 15th minute of the second half, Pohang removed Kim Jun-ho and Shin Kwang-hoon and introduced Kim Jong-woo and Shim Sang-min, respectively, to take the reins of the offense. In the 32nd minute of the second half, they scored a dramatic equalizer. Around the 30th minute, Zeca was tripped up by the Incheon defense while breaking through the box, and the referee immediately awarded a penalty kick.
Zeca’s first shot was blocked by goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon. However, before Zeca could take the shot, Kim Dong-heon’s foot went down first and the penalty kick was awarded again. Zeca didn’t miss the second chance. A strong shot found the top of the net.
Having tied the game the hard way, Pohang continued to attack. Coach Kim Ki-dong made a substitution just before the end. He took off Kim In-sung and put on Hong Yun-sang. Hong Yun-sang took a decisive shot in the 42nd minute, but it was blocked by goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon. Go Young-jun’s shot in the 44th minute also failed to break through Kim’s wall. Fierce battles continued until the last five minutes of the second half. However, no more goals were scored.