FC Seoul was the true master of the SuperMatch. Seoul has won all three of its SuperMatches this season. Ilyuchenko scored goals in back-to-back games to help the team to victory.
FC Seoul defeated Suwon 1-0 in the 29th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 2.
The win snapped Seoul’s six-match winless streak (four draws and two losses). It was their first win in about a month and three weeks since a 7-2 victory over Suwon FC on July 12. The team jumped from sixth to third place (43 points) in the standings. However, the ranking could change depending on the result of fourth-placed Gwangju (42 points), who also play today. Suwon, on the other hand, remains hovering in the relegation zone. They remained in 11th place, one point ahead of last-place Gangwon.
‘SuperMatch starter’ Ko Seung-bum forced out with 5 cm stitches on forehead vs ‘brawler’ Ko Yo-han with a trick card
Seoul lined up in a 3-4-3 formation. Starting with Ilyuchenko in the front line, they had Na Sang-ho and Kim Kyung-min on the left and right flanks. Ki Sung-yong and Palosevic formed the midfield. Kim Jin-ya and Go Yo-han were in charge of the left and right fullbacks, while Kim Joo-sung, Osmar, and Park Soo-il were in the back three. Choi Chul-won wore the goalkeeping gloves.
Before the match, acting coach Kim Jin-gyu said, “The only way to win the Super Match is to win.” He added, “We put in a lot of veteran players who are strong in Super Matches, such as ‘Brawler’ Ko Yo-han. Since it was a super match, we organized the most aggressive lineup possible.”
Suwon lined up in a 3-4-3 formation. Ahn Byung-joon, Acosti, and Bassani started in the top three, while Lee Ki-je, Ko Seung-beom, Lee Jong-seong, and Kim Tae-hwan formed the second line. The back four was composed of Park Jae-won, Kim Joo-won, and Han Ho-gang. Yang Hyung-mo was in goal. Despite suffering a 5-centimeter gash on his forehead in the last match, Go Seung-bum made a strong statement of intent to play in the Super Match.
Coach Kim Byung-soo said, “In today’s game (Super Match), we can only emphasize the mental part. It’s important for the players to recognize that we might be a little bit outclassed, but it’s also important for them to hold on to their mental strength.”
Ilyuchenko scores a fantastic turner to take the lead… First half, Seoul leads 1-0
Seoul took the lead just two minutes into the match on a goal by Ilyuchenko. Park Soo-il crossed from the right flank to Ilyuchenko in the center. Ilyuchenko chest-trapped Suwon defender Kim Joo-won with his back to goal, before turning and firing a right-footed shot that rattled the net. Ilyuchenko, who scored for the second consecutive game, hugged Park Soo-il, who sent the cross, and celebrated.
After taking the lead, Seoul dominated possession and set the tone. As expected in a derby supermatch, the players on both sides of the ball played with a lot of nerves. In the 11th minute of the first half, Lee Jong-sung received a yellow card for a hand to the face after a heated exchange with Goo Han.
Seoul missed a golden opportunity midway through the first half. In the 23rd minute, Palocevic sent a forward pass to Kim Kyung-min, who was rushing into the space behind the defense. Kim unleashed a right-footed shot from inside the penalty box that went just wide of the left side of the goal.
Midway through the first half, the game was stopped for about three minutes when a female spectator collapsed from the heat in the Seoul away end. The collapsed spectator reportedly regained consciousness after Seoul’s quick action.
Kim Jin-ya, who moved up to the left wing, continued to be a threat down the flank. In the 34th minute, Kim broke down the left flank, cut into the center, and attempted a right-footed curling shot that sailed high and wide. A minute later, a similar scene played out again. After breaking down the left flank, she cut into the box and fired a left-footed shot that was saved by Yang Hyung-mo.
Seoul continued to attack. In the 35th minute, Na Sang-ho hit a mid-range shot that sailed high over the goal.
Suwon’s first shot on goal came in the 38th minute, but there was no ‘coolness’ to it. After receiving a forward pass from Lee Jong-sung, Acosti shot from the back of the box, but the defense blocked it with their feet.
Another threatening shot came from Kim Jin-ya after he broke through on the flank. In the 40th minute, Go Yo-han saw Kim Jin-ya breaking into the back of the defense and sent a smart roving pass. Kim Jin-ya broke into the box from the side and fired a hard shot, but it hit the post. Then, in the 42nd minute, Palošević hit a mid-range shot, but the goalkeeper made a quick save.
Suwon fought back. They missed a chance to equalize in first-half stoppage time. Suwon’s first threatening shot came in the final minute of the first half. Lee Ki-jae sent in a free kick from the back, and Ahn Byung-joon raced into the box to head it in, but it went just wide of the left side of the goal. The first half ended with Seoul leading 1-0.
Lee Jong-seok (center) and Na Sang-ho. /Photo=Korea Professional Football Association
‘Second half’ Kazuki substitute changes Suwon’s offense, but… Choi Chul-won makes fantastic saves to preserve Seoul’s 1-0 win!
Seoul changed their offense at the start of the second half by introducing Ji Dong-won and Han Seung-gyu. Suwon brought on Kazuki to bolster their midfield with three midfielders.
In the fourth minute of the second half, Ji Dong-won beat a defender with his heel near the right side of the box, but his shot was blocked by a defender, and in the seventh minute of the second half, Ki Sung-yueng sent a free kick from the right flank that Kim Joo-sung headed wide of the goal.
Suwon made fewer mistakes after Kazuki was introduced in the midfield and looked more lively in attack than in the first half. Early in the second half, Lee Ki-jae hit a powerful right-footed shot from inside the box that went wide. Then, Lee Ki-jae sent a sharp free kick into the box that was punched away by Choi Chul-won.
Suwon had a shot rattle the post in the 12th minute, but it was ruled offside. Kazuki saw Acosti getting into the back of the defense and slipped in a roving pass. Acosti collected the ball and fired a shot, but the goalkeeper leapt out of the way. Ko Seung-beom, who was running toward the goal, pushed it in. The referee checked the video assistant referee (VAR) and Acosti was declared offside.
After conceding, Seoul took off Ilyuchenko and brought on Super Crack Willian to try and change the mood. Suwon changed their frontline attack by removing Ahn Byung-jun and bringing on long striker Mulicic.
Ji Dong-won took the first shot. In the 19th minute, Ji-dong-won connected with a diving header from a cross from the right flank. It hit the arm of a Suwon defender, but the referee deemed it to be unintentional and the game went ahead.
With Kazuki, it was a different story. The attack from the midfield to the front line came alive. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Mulicic connected with a header from a Suwon corner kick, but goalkeeper Choi Chul-won made the save. Then, in the 23rd minute, Mulicic curled a right-footed shot from near the arc circle, but it went wide of the goal.
Suwon continued to push forward. In the 27th minute, Kazuki connected with a left-footed non-stop shot from a cross by Igeze. The shot hit Osmar’s arm, but the referee did not award a PK. A minute later, Mulicic received a forward pass from Kazuki and took a shot that rattled the side netting.
Go Seung-bum had a threatening shot blocked by Choi Chul-won with a super save. In the 31st minute, Acosti, who was on the left side of the box, played the ball to Go Seung-bum in the back. Ko Seung-bum hit a hard shot, but Choi Cheol-won was able to get out of the way. 메이저사이트
Suwon continued to attack, but Choi continued to make saves. Suwon won a free kick near the arc circle in the 42nd minute. Kicker Lee Ki-je took a strong shot, but goalkeeper Choi Cheol-won made a great save. He also blocked Mulicic’s shot in the 43rd minute.
The atmosphere heated up in the final minutes of the game. It was a battle between Seoul to score and Suwon to defend. Suwon was outnumbered in stoppage time when Han Ho-gang was sent off for a back-tackle on Ji Dong-won. Seven minutes of second-half stoppage time were awarded. Both teams fought fiercely until the end of the match, but no more goals were scored. The game ended with a 1-0 victory for Seoul.