Busan i-Park crowns its Asiad comeback with a win to stay atop the standings. Steps toward direct promotion are accelerating.
Busan IPark won 3-0 at home against Seongnam FC in the 31st round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
With their fourth straight win, leaders Busan have accumulated 56 points (16 wins, 8 draws and 5 losses) to move four points clear of second-place Gimcheon Commerce (52 points), who have played one game less. Busan also took a 2-1 lead in the season series against Seongnam. It was the third consecutive clean sheet against Gimcheon Sangmu (2-0) and FC Anyang (1-0).
Notably, Busan returned home to the Asiad for the first time in two months since their last match against FC Anyang on July 24. Busan had been forced to play at Gudeok Stadium due to a K-POP festival, stadium renovations for the national team’s A match, and friendlies against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Jeonbuk Hyundai.
Seongnam, meanwhile, remained in ninth place with 34 points (8 wins, 10 draws, 11 losses) after three games without a win (1 draw, 2 losses). They remain 11 points behind fifth-place Gyeongnam FC (45 points), which is also in the playoffs.
The home team, led by Park Jin-seop, lined up with Ramas, Kim Chan, and Sung Ho-young up front. Lim Min-hyuk and Kim Sang-joon were in the center, while Kim Jung-hwan and Park Se-jin were on the flanks. Choi Ji-mook, Min Sang-ki, and Lee Hando formed a three-back defense, while Goo Sang-min wore the goalkeeping gloves.
Lee Ki-hyung’s Seongnam had Park Ji-won, Lee Jong-ho, and Jung Seung-yong in the attacking line, while Kwon Soon-hyung and Park Sang-hyuk occupied the midfield. On the flanks were Kim Jin-rae and Lee Ji-hoon, with Kang Kang-bin, Lee Yoo-jin, and Cho Sung-wook forming a three-back defense. Choi Pil-soo was in goal.카지노사이트
Busan scored the first goal in the 18th minute to take an early lead. Seeing goalkeeper Choi Pil-soo in front of him, Ramas floated a left-footed shot from the top of the midfield that sailed over Choi’s height and into the Seongnam goal. Ramas scored his eighth goal of the season and Lim Min-hyuk was credited with his second assist.
Seongnam then fought back and appeared to earn a penalty kick in the 31st minute on a corner kick. Kim Chan was adjudged to have been struck on the arm by a bounced ball as he cleared the ball with a header. However, the on-field video assistant referee (VAR) canceled the penalty.
With their hearts in their mouths, Busan extended their lead in the 41st minute through Kim Chan. Lim Min-hyuk’s corner kick from the right side of the box caught the foot of Kim Jung-hwan, who was cutting in from the right, and found Kim Chan standing in front of the goal. Kim, who had nearly equalized earlier in the match, slotted the ball home with time to spare. It was Kim’s seventh goal of the season and Kim’s second assist.
Entering the second half with the lead, Seongnam made a change by introducing Yang Tae-yang in place of Park Ji-won. They also switched goalkeepers with Choi Pil-soo replacing Kim Young-gwang. Seongnam had a chance in the 10th minute of the second half when Park Sang-hyuk’s shot was blocked. Seongnam then brought on Denilson and Jin Sung-wook in search of a goal.
Busan brought on Summer in place of Kim Sang-jun to keep things balanced. In the 17th minute of the second half, Busan almost added another goal. Lim Min-hyuk broke through on the right and his shot hit the crossbar.
Denilson’s solo header in the 21st minute of the second half went over the bar, but Busan scored the game-winner in the 36th minute through Sung Ho-young. Sung cut in alone from the right side and finished with a left-footed shot. It was Sung’s third goal in three games and his third of the season, while Lamas picked up his sixth assist. Seongnam were unable to find the winner in four minutes of added time.
Earlier in the day, Cheonan defeated Seoul Eland 3-0 in a matchup between the two clubs. Motta opened the scoring in the 13th minute of the first half, before Paulinho added a second in the ninth minute and Lee Seok-gyu scored a late consolation goal in the 39th minute. Last-place Cheonan (14 points) is unbeaten in its last four matches (one win, three draws) and picked up its second win of the season, following a victory over Seongnam on July 23. Tenth-place Seoul Eland (32 points) is on a three-game losing streak.
Also on the road, Cheongju FC defeated Ansan Greeners 1-0. Cheongju held on for the three points after Georges’ goal in the 18th minute of the second half. Cheongju moved up to sixth place with 43 points (11 wins, 10 draws, 7 losses), and extended their unbeaten streak to 14 games (8 wins, 6 draws). Meanwhile, Ansan, who went six games without a win (two draws and four losses) amidst recruitment irregularities, remained in 12th place (18 points), four points behind Quan’an.