Football's Coming Seoul: The Leopards Return to Leoul Park to Face Off Against the Army

Seoul finally got back to winning ways in the last round of the 2021 K League 2. It what was a decisive 2-0 victory away from home against Daejeon Hana Citizen which ended their drought. A game that was a fitting tribute to coach Kim Hee-ho, who recently passed a few days prior to the game. Thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time.

Attention now moves back to the capital, as the leopards welcome the army, Gimcheon Sangmu to Leoul park. This will be the third meeting between the two sides, with both teams scoring one victory each in their home stadium. With the game being played behind closed doors, can Seoul finally draw up a run of wins and get their season back on track? Or will Gimcheon shake off the cobwebs and get back to chasing Fc Anyang for the top spot of the K League 2. Michael Redmond previews this one.

Back to Winning Ways

In Chang-soo was the gaffer for the game against Daejeon. A Saturday evening kick-off which saw Seoul try to beat a tricky Daejeon side. The leopards looked the better team throughout the game. It took only 13 minutes to get on the scoresheet. A cross from Ko Jae-hyun was met by a shot from Benegas. This was the Argentine’s third goal for Seoul and his first since scoring against Gimcheon back in March.

Tributes were made to coach Kim Hee-ho, who sadly passed away a few days before the game against Daejeon Hana Citizen.

It got better for the away side as a Leandro cross in the second half was once again met by Benegas. Another brace for the striker, mirroring his goal tally the last time he found the net. It was an emotional game with respect paid in abundance to coach Kim Hee-ho. Seoul played a lot better than what fans have seen in the last couple of months.

It was an emotional end to the game as full time came. Many a player and staff from Seoul were in tears. It was a truly great tribute for a coach who has done so much for Seoul. Both in 2015 and over the last two years.

Full time: Daejeon Hana Citizen 0-2 Seoul

A Damp Night in Gimcheon

It was a thriller down in Gimcheon last Saturday evening, as they faced off with 2nd place, Fc Anyang. The violets were looking to leapfrog the army and reign top by the end of the round. This game certainly did not disappoint.

It took Fc Anyang only three minutes to score, on a very wet and damp pitch. Baek Dong-gyu was the scorer. The pitch was in a poor state and the ball was not moving around too well. Gimcheon tried to come back into the game. However, there were some great saves from Anyang’s keeper. Anyang doubled their lead close to halftime. A mistake in the middle of the park saw Ha-nam run the ball down the field and take another shot from outside of the box, beating Seoul keeper Kang Jeong-mook.

Gimcheon Sangmu played on a very waterlogged pitch against Fc Anyang.

Anyang continued to power through the game and made it three in the 58th minute. Acosty running, making himself clear of the goal. The Ghanaian crossed the ball to Hong Chang-beom to make it three. Anyang did not take their foot off the gas, as in the 64th minute, Mo Jae-hyeon made it four.

On a wet and grim Saturday evening for Gimcheon. They finally gave their fans something the cheer about, when Park Sang-Hyeok scored in the 75th minute. Gimcheon continued to end strong and were awarded a penalty in the dying minutes of the game. Heo Yong-Joon converted on what was a day to forget for the army.

Full time: Gimcheon Sangmu 2-4 Fc Anyang

New Fixture, Already Memorable Rivalry

The two teams have played one another twice now. The first game was in Leoul Park. The second, in Gimcheon. The game in Leoul Park was a memorable one for the Leopards. It all started with a Kim Kin-hwan header in the first half. The second half was the best performance by Seoul this season. Two goals from Benegas, followed by a Kim Jeong-hwan goal made it 4-0 to the home side.

The second game was not so fortunate for the Leopards. Goals either side of the 45 sunk Seoul 2-0 in their first ever outing in Gimcheon. Fans hope that they can see another entertaining encounter between the two sides on Monday.

Prediction

Seoul vs Gimcheon is already starting to become a memorable fixture. Hopefully, we see more of the same on Monday evening. Seoul really needs a win to push away from that dreaded 8th place. Gimcheon needs to win to keep up with Fc Anyang. The loss against the Violets certainly damaged their promotion hopes.

Leoul Park will be without fans on Monday evening. However, the club are fully aware of the fans and hype this team have from the Seoul faithful. We just hope that they continue to impress the fans who deserve to see success at the club.