After a dream first win, Jeonbuk Hyundai head coach Kim Doo-hyun will look to continue his winning streak.
Jeonbuk Hyundai will face Gimcheon Sangmu in the 23rd round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 on Thursday at the Gimcheon Sports Complex.
The home team is currently in second place with 11 wins, seven draws and four losses (40 points). They are just one point behind leader Pohang (41 points). They need a win to reclaim the top spot from Pohang.
The visitors Jeonbuk are in 11th place with four wins, eight draws, and 10 losses (20 points). They made their long-awaited escape from the bottom after beating Jeju last round and knocking Daejeon (19 points) to the bottom of the table. Now it’s Jeonbuk’s turn to keep the momentum going.
Gimcheon, who have been the surprise package of the season, have not been on a good run of form lately. In two matches, they have drawn one and lost one, earning just one point. In the 21st round against Incheon, they had to settle for a 1-1 draw due to a bizarre error. In second-half stoppage time, Cho Hyun-taek cracked the Incheon goal, but the referee blew his whistle impatiently, wiping out any chance of a video assistant referee (VAR) review. It was a clear violation of VAR procedures.
In the previous match, the referee shook his head.
Gimcheon conceded three goals and lost 2-3 against Suwon FC, who were without Lee Seung-woo at home. They were unlucky with an own goal and made a costly mistake. They lost their hard-fought top spot.
Gimcheon hopes to turn things around with a home win. On this day, the retirement ceremony of the seventh generation of players will be held. 안전놀이터 Kim Hyun-wook, Kang Hyun-mook, Lee Young-joon, and other players will say their final goodbyes. Kim Jun-hong and Kim Jin-kyu will also return to Jeonbuk after this match.
Jeonbuk earned their first win under Kim Doo-hyun in the last round of the tournament after an emotional win over Jeju. It was their seventh win in eight league games since Kim Doo-hyun took over at the end of May.
It was a thrilling come-from-behind victory. Jeonbuk conceded the opening goal less than a minute into the match, but Jeon Byung-kwan equalized soon after, and Thiago’s header in the 25th minute secured the three points. Thiago has been on a scoring tear with four consecutive goals in the last four games.
Most importantly, Jeonbuk didn’t crumble at the end.
In recent years, Jeonbuk has often conceded late goals to lose games even when they were ahead. The impatience of the players grew as they repeatedly conceded in the last minute, only to fall back and concede again, creating a vicious cycle. That’s why the win against Jeju was more than just a win.
“I didn’t realize how hard it is to win a game,” said Kim Doo-hyun after the Jeju game, “and I felt it for the first time since I became a coach.” “I’m not satisfied, and I’ll make sure to keep the momentum going in the next game,” he said. To keep the momentum going, the team will have to overcome Gimcheon, a team they have not beaten this season. In the previous two meetings, Gimcheon won one and drew one.