KB News Desk
A two-goal advantage evaporated in the second half, along with their hopes of getting out of the cellar, as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors settled for a 2-2 draw against Daejeon Hana Citizen in a battle between the two worst clubs in the top South Korean football league over the weekend.
Jeonbuk built a 2-0 lead before the match was an hour old, on goals by Song Min-kyu and Tiago Orobo at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in the central city of Daejeon on Sunday. But then Cheon Seong-hoon responded for Daejeon with a penalty in the 67th minute, and Kim Jun-bum scored during added time to secure a hard-fought point for the home side.
Jeonbuk entered this match in 12th place in the K League 1 with 16 points, two behind Daejon, and remained at the bottom of the tables with 17 points after blowing the lead Sunday.
Jeonbuk, the most successful club in K League history with nine championships, are still without a win after seven matches under new head coach Kim Do-heon. They have only managed three draws and four losses since Kim took over at the end of May.
At the end of each K League 1 season, the last-place club will be directly relegated to the second-tier K League 2 for the following campaign. The K League adopted the promotion-relegation system in 2013, and Jeonbuk would be by far the biggest club ever to suffer relegation.
With 21 out of 38 matches in the books, Jeonbuk have the fewest wins in the K League 1 with three and have the worst goal difference at -13. They have conceded more goals than anyone with 38.
It has been a stunning fall from grace for a club for whom finishing in fourth place last year was considered a major disappointment. This year, they face an uphill climb just to get out of the relegation zone. The 10th- and 11th-ranked clubs must survive promotion-relegation playoffs against K League 2 opponents to stay in the K League 1 for 2025, and Jeonbuk now trail 10th-ranked Daegu FC by four points.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors’ new head coach Kim Do-heon speaks during a press conference after a K League 1 match against Daejeon Hana Citizen at Daejeon World Cup Stadium, some 139 kilometers south of Seoul, July 7.
Coach Kim said he was pleased with the way Jeonbuk had gone up 2-0, but their defense fell apart after the lead was shaved in half.
“We tend to concede a lot of goals in those late minutes, and that has to be addressed,” Kim said. “After giving up goals, we have to regroup quickly. I feel we need a leader on the pitch who can keep the team together. I think some players shrink in those situations.”
On the specter of relegation that grows larger with each passing match, Kim said, “It’s too early to get into that discussion, but we obviously have to survive.”
Despite battling back for the draw, Daejeon are not out of the woods yet themselves. They too went through a midseason coaching change, and their new boss, Hwang Sun-hong, has so far recorded one win, two draws and two losses with Daejeon.
“Players are feeling pressure to get out of the relegation zone,” Hwang said. “There’s a lot of football left to play. It won’t be easy, but we have to start playing with more confidence.”
There was also no change at the top of the tables. On Friday, league-leading Gimcheon Sangmu FC were held to a 1-1 draw by Incheon United, while second-place Ulsan HD FC ended in a 1-1 draw against Suwon FC.
Gimcheon maintained their one-point lead over Ulsan, now at 40-39. Pohang Steelers, after a 3-3 draw against Daegu FC on Saturday, stayed in third place with 38 points.
