Recap: Jeonnam Dragons 0-1 Seoul E-Land

After 16 rounds in the 2019 K League 2, and 106 long, painful days. Seoul E-Land finally picked up their second win of the season, beating Jeonnam Dragons 1-0 away last Sunday evening. It was a touching moment for the Seoul faithful, but lets look into what clicked with the Leopards this time around.

What Happened?

First Half

Seoul went into the game with a 3-4-3 formation. A rather puzzling move for the Leopards, due to Seoul having the worse defensive record in the league. However, everyone got stuck in, and any early Jeonnam attack was quickly muted. Seven minutes in and a ball lobbed over to Duarte could have seen Seoul take the lead. The ball was awkward to control under the pressure, and the Brazilian could not make good of the situation.

Only three minutes later, and Choi Jae-hyeon found himself one on one against Kim young-kwang. The Jeonnam player fluffed his lines, and his shot was completely off target. For the next ten minutes, both teams looked wide open in defense. Seoul held well under Jeonnam pressure. They were also able to eliminate a number of chances. It was just before the half-hour mark when Seoul struck. Jeonnam goalkeeper Park Jun-hyuk failed to deal with a well-worked Choi Jong-hoan cross, and number 18 Won Ki-jong blasted the ball into the net from close proximity. Only minutes later, Won Ki-jong was close to his brace. A loose ball was picked up by a half volley from the young Korean. Yet Park Jun-hyuk was there to deal with a fumbled ball.

Second half

The second half saw a rocky Jeonnam Dragons come back to the pitch. Won Ki-jong again found himself one on one with Park Jun-hyuk only four minutes after kick-off. The high pressing Dragons saw this coming together almost at the halfway line. The Dragon’s goalie was quick off his line however and dealt with the situation. It was all hands on deck for Seoul throughout the second half, as Jeonnam piled on the pressure. Seoul defended dramatically and managed to get the clear the ball in the most spectacular of fashions.

The game took a dark turn in the 61st minute, however, as a clash of heads between Seoul’s Byeon Jun-byum and the Dragon’s Chu Jeong-ho saw Seoul’s defender stretchered off. It is always bleak to see a head injury in football, and we wish him a speedy recovery. Jeonnam had a few chances within the game, but they struggled to get anything really on target. This may heated up the men in yellow, as a lash out between Bruno, and E-Land’s Heo Bum-san saw both players booked. Jeonnam were getting closer and closer to scoring.

Yet Seoul just kept hanging on, and heroics from the defense saw them clench a famous win. Tears at the full time from the Seoul E-Land faithful as the final whistle blew. Everyone around the club who have followed them religiously deserved that win on Sunday evening.

Full Time: Jeonnam Dragons 0-1 Seoul E-Land

What Went Well?

Seoul really kept up their good performance from the last 20 minutes in the Asan Mugunghwa game in the last round. As reported last week, they left Asan slightly flustered after a good performance in the second half. They were on the cusp of something leading into Sunday’s game.

The defense worked very well in the game, and the midfielders were very quick to track back when needed. Full credit needs to be given to Seoul. Although it looked slightly unorganized, it worked. The Leopards managed to frustrate Jeonnam in their attacks.

Where Could They Improve?

It must be said that they had a lot of chances in the game. Jeonnam were very rocky at the back, so 1-0 may not be the greatest result due to their style of play.

Seoul have struggled to score all season, and they need to continue to take any chances they can get. Won Ki-jong’s goal was very composed and professional, but it was a very easy finish. If Seoul could push their attack more, and keep the same defensive style that they did on the weekend, then we will continue to see improvements in the side.

What Do They Need To Do Now?

They need to keep these performances up. The team is starting to click now, and they will need to build on this performance to get off the bottom of the table. It has to be documented that E-Land are now only two points off Daejeon Citizen. Another Seoul win with Daejeon failing to pick up points,  would see them move up to 9th.

They also need to continue their appraisal of their fans. Seoul and their players have come out in recent weeks and continually thanked their support. Something the fans feel very touched by. They need to keep to this, especially with the Leopards moving back to Jamsil for the month of August. Next week will be interesting to see how Seoul can perform against Bucheon 1995 in the next round, a team they have beaten already this year in the FA Cup.