K League 1 Round 29: Three Takeaways

A scoreless draw in Ulsan sees the Horangi maintain their advantage on top of K League 1, while Daegu FC snatch an important victory away to Pohang Steelers.  

Stalemate in Ulsan

In the most anticipated matchup between the top two in the division, it finished goalless but not without drama in the final stages, as Lee Dong-jun was denied a late winner thanks to Hong Jeong-ho's clearance off the line in injury time.  Ulsan had a pair of chances early on to take the lead, only for Lee Chung-yong and Oh Se-hun to be denied by the hands of Song Bum-keun inside the first ten minutes.  The hosts dominated the first half but could not find the front before the halftime whistle.

The hosts continued to pour on the pressure in the early stages of the second half but could have gone a goal behind on the hour mark.  Moon Seon-min's near post effort was kept out by Jo Hyun-woo, igniting the home side to attack with purpose.  Lee Dong-gyeong could have put the Horangi in front with just under a quarter of an hour left but sprayed his goalward effort over the bar.   

Both sides would have chances to take all three points in the last minutes of the match but would have to settle for a share of the points at the final whistle.  A missed opportunity for both as Ulsan could have widened their lead atop the table while Jeonbuk could have closed the gap in the title race.

Cesinha was a critical piece in the Sky Blues' comeback.

Daegu Leapfrog Into Third

The matchup between the Sky Blues and the boys from the Steelyard had implications for next year's Asian Champions League and did not disappoint as Lee Byung-geun's men overcame an early deficit to snatch three points inside the final ten minutes.

Lim Sang-hyub put the Steelers in front after just eleven minutes, capitalizing on an attacking move down the right, with his effort finding the back of the net thanks to a deflection.  

Cesinha was a constant presence for Daegu and would have his effort rewarded with an equalizer in the 64th minute with a pinpoint strike from distance.  Both sides would surge forward in search of a winner with Daegu finding a second goal through Edgar in the 84th minute who nodded home Tsubasa Nishi's cross from the right just outside the penalty area.

Pohang was denied a share of the points late on by the frame of the goal as a headed effort went array.  Daegu secured full points at the final whistle, lifting themselves to third in the table.  Both sides are likely to finish in the top six but with a lot of work still to be done before the split.

Seongnam and FC Seoul had to settle for a share of the spoils on Sunday afternoon.

Relegation Rivals Fight to a Draw

Cho Young-wook scored his third goal in four matches but in the end, it wasn't quite enough as Park Soo-il responded for the Magpies.  It was a much anticipated managerial debut for An Ik-soo but things did not go quite as planned.

Despite taking the lead just before the hour mark, Seoul could not keep the advantage as Seongnam answered back in the 69th minute with neither side being able to shift the scoreline in their favor until the end of the match.

Seongnam now sit tenth in the table on 28 points with a trip to Incheon in their sights next weekend, while FC Seoul remain languishing at the foot of the table ahead of a home date with Suwon FC next time out.

With only a few rounds left, both are resigned to the B Final unless they can turn their fortunes as the regular season draws to a close.