Gangwon FC has broken the Ulsan Hyundai draw jinx once and for all.
Gangwon won 2-0 away to Ulsan Hyundai in the 26th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023 at Gangneung Sports Complex on Wednesday. It broke a 15-match winless streak (7 draws and 8 losses).
They also broke a long winless drought, winning their 26th game in 11 years and three months (W1 D4 L21) since a 2-1 victory on May 26, 2012. It was also the first win for new coach Yoon Jeong-hwan, who took over at Gangwon in June.
As Suwon Samsung (19 points), who played earlier in the day, drew 1-1 with Jeonbuk Hyundai, Gangwon (20 points) climbed out of last place in 11th place. That doesn’t change the fact that they are still in the playoffs for promotion.
Gangwon’s determination to win is palpable. They played with heart and soul in front of 8,369 fans, their largest crowd of the year. Ulsan tried to take an early lead in the first 19 minutes by subbing in Bako and Uhm Won-sang for Kang Yoon-gu and Cho Hyun-taek.
However, Kangwon’s concentration was remarkable. In the 20th minute, Kim Dae-won’s header hit the crossbar. In the 22nd minute, Gabriel’s shot was blocked by goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo.
In the 37th minute, when it looked like a goal was about to happen, Kang Won scored a valuable goal. After receiving a pass from Kim Dae-won on the counterattack, Gabriel passed it with his heel and Shin Min-woo, who came from behind, slid it in to break the balance.
At the start of the second half, Ulsan took off Kim Ji-hyun and Kim Tae-hwan and added Lee Cheong-yong and Seol Young-woo. The intention was to utilize the flanks. However, it hit the ground as goalkeeper Lee Kwang-yeon made a good save.
There was also offside bad luck. In the 17th minute, Lee Chung-yong found the back of the net, but Lee In-gyu was offside. Ulsan responded by bringing on Martin Adam, but Gangwon’s defense made a lot of runs.온라인바카라
In the end, Gangwon’s goal in stoppage time tilted the game further in their favor. On a counterattack, Yago was brought down by a tackle from Kim Ki-hee. The referee awarded a penalty kick, and Yago stepped up to take the spot kick, but his effort was blocked by Cho Hyun-woo, who calmly took the bouncing ball and scored to secure the win.