Suwon return from the dead thanks to Brazilian debutants

Suwon FC bounced back from Jasir Asani's 78th minute penalty to defeat Gwangju FC on Friday night. New man Willyan looked like he had rescued a point for Suwon with a sensational finish on the edge of the box. Andrigo made sure his new side left with all the points after forcing an injury time own goal.

Suwon FC 2 (Willyan 85', Kim Gyeong-min (OG) 91')

Gwangju FC 1 (Jasir Asani 78')

Suwon FC used a productive summer transfer window to strengthen their squad which then helped them collect three very important points on Friday night. Suwon offered very little until Pable Sabbag replaced Ji Dong-won with 20 minutes to go. His impact was positive but it was Gwangju who then opened the scoring thanks to Albanian forward Jasir Asani.

Suwon's response was immediate, and this was down to inspired second half replacements and the team's impressive summer transfer window. Suwon lost Anderson to FC Seoul but in the opposite direction came Willyan. The Brazilian scored a spectacular equalizer with time running out before his compatriot Andrigo set up the late winner.

Manager Kim Eun-jeong praised Willyan's "wining mentality" after his latest acquisition turned the game with this strike. The performance and win leaves Suwon with plenty to be positive about as we head into the second half of the season. Kim's club are a long way from safety but a replica of this effort in the coming weeks against Pohang Steelers and FC Anyang will show the club is moving in the right direction.

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Suwon manager Kim Eun-jung was probably fearing the opening of the summer transfer window knowing his - and probably the league's - most prized asset, Anderson, was almost certainly going to depart. The Brazilian tops the division for assists despite playing for the 11th place team without a recognized goalscorer. Depart he did, to FC Seoul. Manager Kim may have preferred his ace attacker move abroad but the benefit of him joining Seoul was Kim was able to raid Seoul to add to his own squad.

Through a combination of injury and selection, Willyan has only featured seven times for Seoul this year, playing less than 100 minutes. But his quality is undoubted, and the winger slotted in to the left side of midfield. Full-back Lee Si-yong also made the switch, having featured just once all season for Seoul. Lee spent last year on loan at rivals Suwon Bluewings in K League 2. He started his match at left-back.

Another summer recruit, Andrigo, was forced to make-do with a spot on the bench. Incredibly, the 30-year-old was completely frozen out of Jeonbuk Motors since Gus Poyet took over last winter. His contract was terminated and Suwon immediately pounced. Just like Willyan, Andrigo is hugely talented and he should make a huge impact to Suwon's survival bid if he remains fit. Han Chan-hee, from Pohang Steelers, also made his Suwon debut, lining up in central midfield.

Suwon centre-back Lee Ji-sol certainly stands out. The former Gangwon player has a shock of blond hair, unlike anyone else on his team. So when he rose to meet a corner on 30 minutes and glanced a header just wide, no-one inside Castle Park could have been mistaken for wondering who it was that went close. I bring this up because this is how long we had to wait for the slightest form of excitement in a ridiculously dull opening half-hour.

Even the normally animated Lee Jung-hyo couldn't bring a spark to this tie. We waited patiently for his whiteboard to appear, giving simple instructions to his players. Even the whiteboard must have been sleepy. It is worth pointing out that Gwangju, the city, has been destroyed by flash-floods this past week. Some reports suggested the city hasn't seen this much rainfall for 104 years. Unfortunately, this time of the year, as Korea gets battered in rainy season, some cities get pummeled but the players have to carry on.

Even Lee Jong-hyo couldn't make the first period interesting.

Half time. Relief.

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Suwon's ability to remain competitive at this level is truly astonishing. After a second-placed finish following the Covid-curtailed 2020 K League 2 season, Suwon went up in the playoffs and have stayed up. They've flirted with relegation, notably in 2023 when they finished joint-last with Suwon Bluewings, but their superior goals scored column saved them from automatic relegation. In the playoffs, they trailed Busan IPark 3-1 on aggregate with 12 minutes to play, took the game to extra time, and then whipped the floor with Busan.

Theirs is a squad that needs constant regeneration. A good player will be poached. In the last 12 months, Lee Seung-woo has moved to Jeonbuk Motors, and Jeong Seung-won and Anderson are plying their trade for FC Seoul. But somehow they aren't bottom, and they have used their assets to give them a good bargaining position in negotiations. K League 2 now features three former Asian champions (Suwon Samsung, Busan IPark, and Seongnam FC) plus Incheon United. Suwon FC are the great underdogs.

And yet.... Castle Park was virtually empty for this Friday tie. The weather was atrocious all week, but it stopped raining in Suwon before lunchtime. A sign of how good the weather and the conditions were was evident across the carpark. Baseball doesn't function in wet weather, and yet at the same time as this match was taking place, KT Wiz hosted Hanwha Eagles. in other words, it was a perfect evening for sport. Why was no-one there to see it?

Disappointingly, the second period was turning out to be just as rudderless as the first. That was until the 66th minute, when Suwon midfielder An Hyeon-beom slashed at a shot from the edge of the box. The ball clearly took a deflection but the referee ruled a goal kick. Suwon were furious, with every outfield player swarming the referee in disgust. However, the assistant had already called for a corner, and the referee overturned his earlier ruling. The crowd was livid. Was this the moment to kick start the tie? No, the corner came to nothing.

Almost immediately. however, Suwon's second half replacement Pablo Sabbag was ploughed from behind in the box. It looked innocuous at first but the referee was called to review the incident. Oddly. the replays didn't warrant a recheck. The challenge on Sabbag was forceful, but it wasn't illegal. In fairness to the referee, it didn't take him long to dismiss the challenge. Suwon didn't even protest.

And wouldn't you know it. No sooner had Sabbag picked himself off the floor when Gwangju were awarded a spot kick. A cross from the right appeared to come off Lee Yong's arm. The officials missed it in real time, however VAR intervened and for the second time in about 60 seconds, the referee was looking at a screen. This time, a penalty was a awarded. Jasir Asani stepped up and blasted his kick high into the roof of the net. Hwang Jae-yoon had no chance. A harsh penalty but hey, we had a goal with 12 minutes to play.

Suwon responded to that setback by making a triple change. The impact was immediate. Seo Jae-min barreled down the left flank, fining new boy Willyan on the edge of the box. The Brazilian took one touch to settle, and then smashed a spectacular volley away from Kim Gyeong-min's despairing dive. It was a brilliant finish from a talented player.

If that wasn't enough chaos, another debutant and second half substitute Andrigo set up the winner after the 90th minute. The Brazilian broke into the box, squared the ball, which was turned into his own net by Kim Gyeong-min, The keeper was desperately unlucky. He parried Andrigo's initial cross, but the ball took a wicked bounce off his right elbow and found its way into the back of the net.

Andrigo celebrates his role in the winning goal.

Gwangju had two huge chances to level it at the end. Firstly, Hwang Jae-yoon made a smart save to his left. From the resulting corner, the man who teed up the equalizer, Seo Jae-min, cleared off his own goal line with his keeper well beaten. It was fitting that the last action of the match fell to a second half substitute.

A masterclass from manager Kim to turn the game around, helped by new signings and his own second half changes. Suwon deservedly hung on for a 2-1 win, in a game that promised absolutely nothing for 70 minutes.

Up next

Suwon have a very important July. After this .... Gwangju, Kim takes his troops down to Pohang on Tuesday night. Following that, Anyang make the short trip south for a relegation battle next weekend. 

Gwangju head home tonight where they'll enjoy home comforts for their next two matches. First, Gimcheon Sangmu visit midweek before runaway leaders Jeonbuk Hyundai head to Gwangju in the Jeolla derby. 

Best player: Willyan.

Attendance: 2,036.