Daejeon Citizen 3-4 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Recap

Daejeon self-destruct to hand league-leaders Jeonbuk an injury time winner.

Despite falling behind with just seven minutes played, Daejeon put up an incredible fight against the league leaders but fell to a 95^th minute Edu winner.

Photo Credit: DCFC.co.kr

The league’s vertical bookends played out a thrilling encounter at Daejeon World Cup Stadium which saw Daejeon peg the Green Warriors no fewer than three times.

A fourth was beyond the Purples and, in the end, fell to a late winner for the Jeonju-based side.

Despite Citizen handing debuts to five of the six players that arrived through the door this week in a bid to change their fortunes, Brazilian hitman Edu put the visitors ahead.

The league’s top scorer got on the end of a cutback from the by-line to send the traveling Jeonbuk supporters into raptures.

The Daejeonistas may perhaps have feared the worst having seen their beloved side fall behind so early on.

However, such feelings of pessimism were soon diminished once young forward Hwang In-Beom emphatically equalised.

The teenager picked the ball up 25 yards out, steadied himself, before letting rip with his left foot.

The ball travelled into the top corner of Gwon Sun-Tae’s top left hand corner, rendering him redundant – an absolute marvellous strike.

Daejeon’s jubilation was short-lived, though, as once again Jeonbuk had the lead.

Lee Dong-Guk restored Jeonbuk’s lead heading into the interval to make the half time score 2-1 to the visitors.

The second half got off to a frenzied start with it abundantly clear that coach Choi had instructed his Daejeon side to up the tempo and attack from the off.

Jeonbuk’s penalty area became a hive of activity with Hwang Joo-Woong threatening to punish a lapse in concentration at the back.

Such endeavour was rewarded when the referee, after much deliberation, pointed to the spot to award the home side a penalty.

There appeared to be some confusion as to where the impediment was with the visitors protesting furiously.

New forward Ko Min-Hyuk stepped up to coolly convert to, once again, bring Daejeon level.

But, yet again, Daejeon’s lack of cohesion at the back let Jeonbuk back in and again through Edu with another rebounded finish.

With such little time remaining it appeared that Jeonbuk had won it, despite late pressure from Citizen.

But, with just 9 minutes remaining of normal time, another debutant brought Daejeon level.

Han Eui-Gwon, off the shoulder, found himself beyond the backline and duly slotted home, much to the delirium of those behind the goal – the rain-drenched Daejeonistas.

Both sides went to go on and win the game, both sides had their chances.

Jeonbuk, though, don’t have a tendency to press the self-destruct button quite like Daejeon, this is exactly what the hosts did – it never rains but it pours.

Despite Park Ju Won’s heroics between the sticks and some last-ditch defending, Daejeon failed to clean their lines leaving Lee Dong-Guk free and onside to net the game’s winner on 95 minutes.

Attendance: 2557

Line ups

Daejeon

Park Ju-Won, Ahn Sang-Hyun, Yun Jun-Seung, Kim Tae-Bong, Lee Jeong-Geun, Hwang In-Beom (Goal), Son Seol-Min, Ko Min-Hyuk (Goal), Lee Hyun-Sung, Han Eui-Gwon (Goal), Hwang Ji-Woong.

Jeonbuk

Gwon Sun-Tae, Park Won-Jae, Wilkinson, Kim Ki-Hee, Choi Chul-Soon, Lee Dong-Guk (Goal 2), Lee Jae-Seung, Jang Yoon-Ho, Leonardo, Moon Sang-Yun, Edu (Goal 2).