Park Jeong-in inspires Busan to win over Bucheon

Park Jeong-in and An Byong-jun both got on the scoresheet as Busan IPark recorded their first clean sheet of the season to beat Bucheon 1995 on Sunday afternoon. For Busan, the result was enough to move them within four points of the K League 2 top spot, while defeat for Bucheon leaves them five points adrift at the bottom of the table.

Result

Bucheon 1995 0-2 Busan IPark

Highlights

Key Moments

25’ – BUSAN GOAL – Lee Sang-heon attempts to tee up An Byong-jun after a slick passing move, and the ball bounces kindly for Park Jeong-in, whose left-footed volley has enough power to beat Lee Juh-yun. 

26’ – Save – Bucheon’s Han Ji-ho dribbles into the box and fires a low drive at goal, but Ahn Joon-soo denies the ex-Busan forward with a smart stop. 

60’ – BUSAN GOAL – Busan left back Park Min-gyu intercepts a loose pass and sprints down the left flank to deliver an inch-perfect cross for An Byong-jun, who plants a bullet header into the bottom corner. 

68’ – Woodwork – Bucheon’s Song Hong-min tries to find the corner from 15 yards, but the ball bounces off the inside of the post and ricochets away to safety.

[READ: Busan IPark: A Tale of Two Goalkeepers]

Busan youngsters reward Peres faith

On 13 March, Busan IPark were thumped 4-0 by Chungnam Asan in a woeful performance riddled with individual errors and poor positional play. Three players who endured games to forget were keeper Ahn Joon-soo (23), centre back Park Ho-young (22), and midfielder Lee Ji-seung (22). The youngsters have since found game time hard to come by, but all three were in the lineup for the trip to Bucheon, and they rewarded their manager’s faith with solid displays that will do their confidence the world of good.

Ahn Joon-soo conceded eight goals in his first three games for the club, but his shot-stopping was sound against Bucheon, denying Han Ji-ho and Choe Byung-chan in the first half to preserve Busan’s one goal lead. Ahn looked composed as Busan recorded their first clean sheet of the year at the ninth attempt, and he will now hope to kickstart his season after a difficult start. Choi Pil-su might remain Peres’ first choice keeper going forward, but Ahn - whose distribution is far superior to Choi's - can now be considered a genuine contender for the jersey.

Centre back Park Ho-young has also endured a mixed start to the campaign, looking imperious at times but clumsy and leaden-footed at others. The giant defender is not a graceful footballer, but he has looked much more comfortable at the centre of Peres’ new-look back three, acting as a no-nonsense sweeper between Valentinos Sielis and Hwang Jun-ho. After a personal nightmare game against Asan, in which he was beaten for pace repeatedly and also conceded a penalty, Peres will be delighted at the mental strength shown by the 22 year-old. 

Lee Ji-seung also endured a poor game at Asan, and was hooked off at half time after losing the ball to gift the home team a goal. He looked more at ease against Bucheon, keeping things simple in the middle and allowing Kim Jin-gyu to roam as playmaker. With Kim set to represent Korea at the Olympics this summer, and with Park Jong-woo out injured, there is an opportunity for Lee to play his way into the team. The youngster is still a work in progress, but playing 90 minutes in a 2-0 win is a step in the right direction for a player that Peres may need to call upon more as the season progresses.

Goal-shy Bucheon frustrated again

Bucheon are the league’s lowest scorers, managing only three goals in nine games so far. Sunday’s defeat was the fifth league game in a row that they have failed to find the back of the net, but it wasn’t for want of trying. 

Captain Han Ji-ho led the line well against his former club, forcing Ahn into a good save before setting up teammates with two dangerous crosses, but both chances went begging. Bucheon’s best opportunity fell to Song Hong-min midway through the second half, but his effort bounced agonisingly along the goal line and away after clipping the inside of the post. 

Although Bucheon didn’t make the most of their chances, they didn’t look like a team that was struggling to create. Another defeat leaves them languishing at the bottom of the table, but they showed enough on Sunday to suggest they won’t be cut adrift.

Busan Player Ratings

GK – Ahn Joon-soo – 7 

RCB – Hwang Jun-ho – 7 

CB – Park Ho-young – 7 

LCB – Valentinos Sielis – 7 (Kim Dong-woo, 88’) 

RWB – Domagoj Drozdek – 7 (Kim Jeong-hyun 80’ – 6) 

CM – Lee Ji-seung – 6 

CM – Kim Jin-gyu – 7 

LWB – Park Min-gyu – 8 

RW – PARK JEONG-IN - 8 

LW – Lee Sang-heon – 6 (Choi Jun, 56’ – 7) 

CF – An Byong-jun – 7

Bucheon 1995 team: Lee Juh-yun, Yun Ji-hyuk, Kim Jeung-ho, Jang Hyun-soo (Park Jun-hui, 4’), Song Hong-min, Choe Byung-chan (Cho Soo-chul, 61’), Lee Si-heon (Jo Geon-gyu, 77’), Cho Hyun-taek, Han Ji-ho, Chu Jeong-ho, Jo Yun-hyeong