Jeonbuk and Sangju grabbed three points on Saturday, while Daegu and Pohan shared points. Here’s our fantasy football preview of the Korean League Round 2 Sunday’s matches.
Suwon vs Ulsan
Suwon was denied a point in the dying minutes of the Korean League opener. Jeonbuk’s Dong-gook Lee was left unmarked in the box, and the 41-year-old scored from a header. Suwon’s Terry Antonis (MID) received a straight red card in the second half.
Ulsan registered the biggest win in Round 1 of the Korean League. The last season’s runner-up hit four goals against Sangju. Júnior Negrão (FWD) struck two goals in the first half, while Lee Sang-heon (MID) and Yun Bit-garam (MID) added a goal each.
Head-to-Head (Korean League 2019)
01.03.2019: Ulsan 2-1 Suwon
18.05.2019: Suwon 1-3 Ulsan
25.09.2019: Suwon 0-2 Ulsan
The Key Players
Suwon
No Dong-Geon (GK): Though the 28-year-old couldn’t keep a clean sheet, he made four saves against Jeonbuk.
Doneil Henry (DEF): The centre-back was the busiest Suwon player on the pitch in the Korean League opener. He made nine clearances, four successful tackles, two interceptions, and blocks.
Myeong Jun-Jae (DEF): Jun-Jae won three tackles in midfield and had the best passing accuracy among Suwon players in the Round 1 match – 87.1%.
Lee Jong-sung (MID): Lee Jong put in a hard shift against Jeonbuk. The defensive midfielder made seven clearances, four interceptions and won two successful tackles.
Ko Seung-Beom (MID): The defensive midfielder made four clearances and two successful interceptions against Jeonbuk.
Ulsan
Dave Bulthuis (DEF): The Dutch centre-back was outstanding against Sanju. He made 10 clearances and four interceptions.
Kim Tae-Hwan (DEF): Kim Tae gave a clever pass to help Negrão score the opening goal against Sangju. He made four clearances and had 85% passing accuracy.
Yun Bit-Garam (MID): The 30-year-old scored a wonderful goal from outside the box against Ulsan. Yun produced three attacking crosses and two successful interceptions.
Lee Sang-Heon (MID): The attacking midfielder scored Ulsan’s third goal in the 4-0 rout of Sangju.
Júnior Negrão (FWD): Two goals, one assist, and a passing accuracy of 92.86% – Negrão produced a dream performance in Ulsan’s new season opener. He has also scored two goals in three matches against Suwon last season.
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Seoul vs Gwangju
Seoul opened the 2020 Korean League campaign with a defeat to Gangwon. A Park Dong-Jin (FWD) strike helped Seoul to take the lead at half-time, but the hosts scored three goals, two of them in the dying minutes, in the second half.
The 2019 Korean League 2nd Division champions, Gwangju fell to a 0-2 defeat against Seongnam in their opening match. They conceded both the goals in the first 15 minutes.
The Key Players
Seoul
Kim Nam-Chun (DEF): The centre-back was excellent in the first 45 minutes before being taken-off due to a facial injury. Kim-Name made three interceptions and two clearances at the back.
Osmar (MID): Osmar produced a gritty performance in the midfield. The Spaniard won five tackles and made three interceptions.
Ko Kwang-Min (MID): Kwang-min had a decent outing in Seoul’s season opener. He made three clearances and two successful interceptions.
Ikromjon Alibaev (MID): Alibaev, the Uzbek international, made the most successful tackles in the Seoul-Gangwon match – 4.
Park Dong-Jin (FWD): The 25-year-old scored Seoul’s only goal against Gangwon. He also registered another shot on target.
Gwangju
Park Jun-Hui (DEF): Jun-hui showed glimpses of quality on his Gwangju debut. The right-back made four successful tackles and two interceptions.
Lee Eu-Deum (DEF): The left-back provided three attacking crosses and won two free-kicks and interceptions against Seongnam.
Yeo Reum (MID): Reum was a solid presence in midfield for Gwangju in their match against Seongnam. He won four tackles and made two interceptions.
Yeo Bonghun (MID): The midfielder, who had a passing accuracy of 89% against Seongnam, was unlucky not to open the scoring for Gwangju. He came one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but the Seongnam custodian denied him.