Incheon United and Pohang Steelers drew 1-1 after a tight match in the first match of the final round.
Pohang and Incheon faced off in the 34th round of ‘Hana One Q K League 1 2023’ held at Pohang Steel Yard at 7:30 pm on the 20th. It was the first matchup of the final round between 2nd place (58 points) Pohang and 6th place Incheon (48 points). Pohang was in a position to narrow the gap with league leader Ulsan Hyundai (67 points). Incheon was aiming for a spot in the Asian Champions League. Both teams desperately needed three points.
But the result was a 1-1 draw. In the first half, Incheon took the lead with Gerso’s sensational shot, but in the second half, Zeka equalized from a penalty kick to bring Meng to the generals. Both teams were divided with one point each.
The home team, Pohang, used a 4-2-3-1 formation with Zeka at the front line. Seung-Dae Kim, Young-Jun Ko, and Jae-Hee Jeong appeared in the second line. Jaehee Jeong made his comeback six months after suffering an injury early in the season. Han Chan-hee and Kim Jun-ho supported the backs, while Park Seung-wook, Park Chan-yong, Ha Chang-rae, and Shin Gwang-hoon formed the back four. Goalkeeper Hwang In-jae has appeared.
To counter this, Incheon used 3-5-2. Gerso and Hernández, the top two foreign strikers, appeared. Min Kyung-hyun, Kim Do-hyuk, Lee Myung-ju, Mpoku, and Kim Jun-yeop filled the midfield. Oh Ban-seok, Kim Dong-min, and Kim Yeon-soo came out as a three-back, and the goalkeeper was Kim Dong-heon.
Pohang went on the offensive early in the first half. In the end, Incheon hit the net in the 21st minute of the first half. After catching the ball in the box, Han Chan-hee beat the defense and fired a right-footed shot. However, goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon punted. Jeong Jae-hee, who had been a starter for the first time in a long time, pushed the ball in. However, as a result of the video review (VAR), Jae-hee Jeong was found to have committed offside, so the goal was canceled.
Incheon, having overcome the crisis, immediately counterattacked with the first goal. 26 minutes in the first half. Goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon’s long pass was connected to Gerso, who was on the right side of the front line. At this time, Pohang goalkeeper Hwang In-jae left the goal and tried to get the ball away, but was hit by Gerso’s personal move. Gerso beat goalkeeper Hwang In-jae and fired an exquisite shot with his left foot toward the goal. The Muju Gongsan goal was opened in vain.
Pohang led the attack in the first half, but was defeated by a counterattack. In the end, Incheon took the lead 1-0 in the first half.
In the second half, Pohang removed Jeong Jae-hee and replaced Kim In-seong. The bench was busy moving for the make-up goal. In the 15th minute of the second half, Kim Jun-ho and Shin Gwang-hoon were removed and Kim Jong-woo and Sim Sang-min were brought in, respectively, to take the reins of the attack. In the end, the equalizer was scored in the 32nd minute of the second half. Around the 30th minute of the second half, Zeka, who was breaking through the box, was tripped by Incheon’s defense and the referee immediately declared a penalty kick.스포츠토토
Zeka’s first shot was blocked by goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon. However, before Zeka could shoot, Kim Dong-heon’s foot fell first and another penalty kick was declared. Zeka didn’t miss his second chance. A strong shot hit the top of the net.
Pohang, which had a difficult time tying the game, continued its offensive. Coach Kim Ki-dong used the replacement card right before the end. He replaced Kim In-seong and replaced Hong Yun-sang. Hong Yun-sang hit a decisive shot in the 42nd minute of the second half. However, he was blocked by goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon. Even Ko Young-jun’s shot in the 44th minute could not penetrate Kim Dong-heon’s wall. A fierce battle continued until the 5th minute of extra time in the second half. However, no more goals were scored.