Recap: Opening day loss for Gwangju FC

Gwangju fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Seongnam on their return to KLeague 1 as the Yellows looked bereft of ideas in an unfamiliar formation. Two early goals from Yang Dong-hyeon condemned Park Jin-seop's side to a disappointing defeat.

What Happened?

Seongnam got off to a blistering start taking the lead after just five minutes as Yang Dong-hyeon was afforded far too much space in the box. His header flew past Yoon Pyeong-gook in the Yellows net and set the tone for the opening exchanges with Yang grabbing his second just six minutes later. Allowed to turn inside the box, he slotted into the bottom left corner. Park Jin-seop's Yellows did put in a spirited reply with Doo Hyeon-seok flashing an effort inches wide of the post. On 36 minutes Kim Jin-hyeon struck the bar following Felipe's knock down and minutes later Yeo Bong-hoon worked himself into a one-on-one position with Seongnam debutant Kim Young-kwang but failed to beat him.

The second half didn't start with as fast a tempo as Kim Nam-il's Seongnam looked to ease out the victory. Yoo In-soo, who assisted Yang's first goal, fired a firecracker of a shot to Yoon's left in the Gwangju goal but he extended magnificently to deny the former FC Tokyo man. Gwangju boss Park's last throw of the dice was to hand Kim Hyo-gi his debut up front but the veteran didn't make too much of an impact.

What Went Well for Gwangju?

Gwangju had plenty of possession in dangerous areas and on another day could have caused more problems for the Magpies. Park Jin-seop showed strong management to make an early substitution as 20-year-old Kim Jin-hyeon was replaced by Lim Min-hyeok in midfield in an attempt to shake things up. New signing Marcos Urena also showed flashes of potential and some good link up play with strike partner Felipe.

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What Didn't Go Well for Gwangju?

Gwangju started the game naively in an end-to-end affair. Up against an experienced Seongnam side they certainly were given a rude awakening on their return to the top division. The Yellows were without influential winger Willyan and set up in a 4-4-2 formation in a change from the 4-3-2-1 they were comfortable with last season. In truth Gwangju were too predictable and relied too heavily upon the creativity of Lee Eu-ddeum at left back.

What Do Gwangju Need To Do Now?

Heading to FC Seoul next weekend it may be wise for Park Jin-seop to return to his favoured system of last season, reverting to three central midfielders to offer more stability. They must not get disheartened that their first outing back in the top tier did not turn out has they would have liked and look to impressive performances on the road last season for inspiration.