After once again failing to make the national team, veteran striker Lee In-gyu scored a wonder goal in what national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann called an “intuitive” game. Daegu defeated Suwon FC with a stoppage-time winner, while ‘promotion comrades’ Daejeon and Gwangju shared a point apiece.
Lee In-gyu scored his team’s fourth goal in the 25th minute of their Hana One Q K League 1 2023 Round 18 home match against Jeju at the Ulsan World Cup Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, after Bako, Ataru and Uhm Won-sang had given them a 3-0 lead.
Bako’s right cross from the front of the arc was chest-trapped by In-Ju-gyu, who swung his right foot to volley the ball before it hit the turf. The ball left his foot and hit the top of the left crossbar before heading into the back of the net.
The goal was reminiscent of Klinsmann’s volley against South Korea in the 1994 U.S. World Cup group stage. Immediately after the goal, Klinsmann and goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke, who was watching the game from the stands, were seen smiling broadly. Klinsmann once again did not include In-Joo in his roster for the two June A-match friendlies.
On June 6 against Suwon FC, Lee scored his second consecutive goal and 10th goal of the season (17 games). This marks the third consecutive season since 2021 that he has scored double-digit goals in the K League 1. Jeju head coach Nam Ki-il, who played alongside Lee for three seasons in Jeju from 2020 to 2022, said before the game that “Lee has opened his eyes (to soccer).”
In the first half, Ulsan was somewhat outplayed by Jeju, whose Lee Ki-hyuk was light on his feet. Jeju had more possession in the first half, 52% to 48%. The difference between Ulsan and Jeju was in the details. Ulsan took the lead in the 31st minute of the first half as Jeju struggled to open the Ulsan goal, which was guarded by Cho Hyun-woo. After receiving a space pass from Bako, Uhm Won-sang was fouled by Kim Dong-joon in the box and earned a penalty. Bako calmly connected with his seventh goal of the season.
The second half was a perfect Ulsan pace. Uhm Won-sang, who was involved in the first goal, made a sharp break from the right side in the seventh minute of the second half and sent in a strong cross for Ataru to head home. Ataru, who stood out in the last match against Suwon FC, exploded for his K League debut goal on this day. Jeju was stunned. A minute later, in the eighth minute, Uhm Won-sang broke the defense perfectly with a clever dribble into the back. The ball was a bit long, but goalkeeper Kim Dong-jun was still reeling from the trauma of the earlier penalty foul. Uhm Won-sang had plenty of time to escape Kim’s defense and find the back of the net. After scoring his third goal in three months against Gangwon on March 5, Uhm Won-sang covered his face with his hands as if he was sorry for his poor performance.
Lee In-gyu’s 10th goal came in the midst of this trend. Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo took off Uhm Won-sang and Lee Myung-jae in the 31st minute of the second half as the balance was tipping, and brought on Lee Cheong-yong, Martin Adam, and Cho Hyun-taek to add energy. Second-half substitute Yuri Jonatan capitalized on an opponent’s mistake to score a 33rd-minute consolation goal, but Bako scored his fifth goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time to complete the 5-1 victory. Ulsan scored five goals in a single game for the first time in two years and three months since a 5-0 win over Gangwon in March 2021. With 44 points from 14 wins, two draws and two losses, Ulsan has opened up a 14-point gap on second-place Pohang. On the other hand, fourth-placed Jeju (28 points), which lost 1-0 in Pohang last round, has lost two in a row and drawn three in a row.
Daegu won 3-1 against Suwon FC at DGB Daegu Bank Park. After taking the lead through Vasellus in the fourth minute of the second half, Daegu conceded a 31st-minute equalizer through Lee Seung-woo. However, ‘Crack’ Sejingya scored the dramatic winner in the 44th minute with a diving header off a cross from Hwang Jae-won. It was the second consecutive game in which he was the hero for Daepak after the last match against Seoul. Sejingya shared his joy with the home fans by removing his top immediately after scoring. Daegu struck again in extra time, this time when Hwang Jae-won converted Sejingya’s pass into the net on the counterattack. Daegu, which overcame a loss to Jeonbuk in the previous round, recorded seven wins, six draws, and five losses for 27 points. They jumped to fifth place in the standings immediately after the match. 10th-ranked Suwon FC (18 points) suffered their second straight defeat after their last match against Ulsan. 스포츠토토
Sixth-place Daejeon (26 points) and seventh-place Gwangju (25 points) split the points. Gwangju took the lead in the 40th minute with a goal from Jung Ho-yeon. The game was tilted in Gwangju’s favor, but Kim “Joker” In-gyun scored a dramatic equalizer in the third minute of extra time. The two teams also played to a 0-0 draw in their first meeting of the season.