The October break arrives at the worst possible time
Korea Republic travel to Amman on Thursday to face Jordan before welcoming Iraq to Yongin the following week. The international games mean something to football fans in Korea but the timing couldn't be any worse. It is like the handbrake has been pulled on a sensational conclusion to K Leagues 1 and 2.
"Are you not entertained!"
Korean football fans love their national team. The screaming and screeching when their heroes touch the ball is unlike anything I've ever experienced. And in some ways, it is refreshing. In other parts of the world, particularly Europe, the international break is seen as dull and a nuisance. How often have you heard a friend lament the short pause in the Premier League season?
Who wants to watch a Nations League game against Finland when Liverpool host Chelsea immediately after the break? But things are different over here. Had the Seoul World Cup Stadium surface been deemed playable, 69,000 seats would have been sold for the Iraq contest. The playkfa site will likely crash when tickets are released for Yongin Mireu, which holds half of what Sangam does.
[LISTEN: Final A rundown]
However, this coming break is one we could do without. Never before has the conclusion to the domestic season offered so much promise, in both divisions, even if Ulsan HD effectively wrapped up a third straight title with their come-from-behnd win against Gimcheon Sangmu. We await the fixture release sometime this week to see if any slip-ups potentially await Ulsan.
At the other end, it couldn't be any tighter. Take Daegu versus Jeonbuk Hyundai. From 2-0 down, Jeonbuk fought back to lead 3-2, only to concede twice after the 90th minute. With players from both teams sprawled out on the deck after the final whistle, the potential consequences of this comeback probably hadn't sunk in. But the dramatic, exhilarating win hauled Daegu into 9th, above Jeonbuk, and out of the relegation zone.
[LISTEN: Final B rundown]
Daejeon Hana needed a win to put some distance between themselves and the only automatic relegation slot, currently occupied by Incheon. Approaching the break, it was looking good. Incheon were trailing to Yang Min-hyeok's opener and Daejeon had a lead to protect in Seogwipo. But late goals at the end of each half turned a 1-0 lead into a 2-1 loss. Championship minutes. Or, perhaps in Daejeon's case, relegation minutes.
The fun isn't limited to K League 1. FC Anyang are in freefall after a third loss on the trot. They've also lost all three games to a mediocre Suwon Samsung outfit, which doesn't bode well for their run-in. But, predictably, there was only limited damage caused by the pretenders. Chungnam Asan were hammered in Gimpo, Seoul E-Land and Busan IPark shared the spoils in Gudeok, and Bucheon faltered against managerless Chungbuk Cheongju.
Gimpo will be raging against the timing of this break. Over the summer, their promotion bid looked over. But Luis Mina has found the net again, Bruno is bang in form, and Leonard Pllana is arguably the best player in the division. Gimpo have two losses in 11 games, and in the space of a week, they took care of Seoul E-Land and Asan without conceding a goal.
There are, of course, teams who'll be delighted to take a break from domestic affairs. In the top flight, Incheon United were comprehensively outplayed by Gangwon FC at the weekend. It is difficult to describe how incredible Yang Min-hyeok was, as he sees out the final games of his Gangwon career. Yang played Sunday's game at a different speed to everyone else, and Incheon never got close to him.
Manager Choi Young-Geun could do with smashing the reset button and allowing his side the rest and recuperation they need. Incheon's record against their fellow strugglers is surprisingly strong (25 of their 33 season points have come against the other teams in Final B), but how they were ripped to shreds for 70+ minutes on Sunday will be of huge concern.
Likewise, in the second division, one-time runaway leaders FC Anyang are in a tailspin. Despite having underperforming striker Nicholas sent off against Ansan Greeners, the Violets bounced back to win 2-1 and jump nine points clear at the summit. Since the Line 4 derby, however, Anyang have dropped nine points, six of which went to championship contenders. With third-placed Busan IPark due to arrive immediately after the break, Anyang desperately need this time to regain lost confidence.
Good luck to the Korea side as they take on rapidly improving Jordan and Iraq. But wouldn't it be great to see Sunday's drama-filled feast of football immediately followed up with another round of K League 1 fixtures? And what if Anyang weren't afforded the luxury of a break, but had to face down Busan like they do once the internationals are over? On the same weekend, Suwon visit Bucheon, Gimpo go to Cheongju, and Seoul head to Cheonan.
These really are the halcyon days of Korean domestic football.
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