football-club
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| ▲ Paik Seung-ho of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (R) celebrates his goal against Suwon Samsung Bluewings during a K League 1 match at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 35 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 10, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Paik Seung-ho of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (L) heads the ball past Lee Ki-je of Suwon Samsung Bluewings during a K League 1 match at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 35 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 10, 2023. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors players celebrate their 3-0 win over Suwon Samsung Bluewings in a K League 1 match at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 35 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 10, 2023. (Yonhap) |
football-club
Jeonbuk move out of K League relegation zone with resounding win
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- Desperate for a return to respectability in South Korean football, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors finally enjoyed the kind of victory that had once been their norm.
In a meeting against another downtrodden team, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors shut down 10-man Suwon Samsung Bluewings 3-0 Wednesday night at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 35 kilometers south of Seoul.
The victory pushed Jeonbuk out of the K League 1 relegation zone. They have climbed from 10th to seventh with 14 points.
Suwon, meanwhile, remained in last place among 12 teams with five points.
This was Jeonbuk's second match under caretaker manager Kim Do-heon, who has taken over after head coach Kim Sang-sik last Thursday. For Suwon, new head coach Kim Byung-soo made his debut six days after being named to the position.
Jeonbuk opened the scoring just 21 seconds into the contest, as Moon Seon-min scored off a Maeng Seong-ung setup, before midfielder Paik Seung-ho chipped in two goals, in the 40th and then 65th minute, for his first two for 2023.
The three-goal output was the largest for Jeonbuk this year, highlighting some uncharacteristic struggles for the club long known for a high-octane offense.
Jeonbuk, who have won a record nine K League 1 titles, trail defending champions Ulsan Hyundai FC by 17 points through 12 matches. There are 26 matches remaining, which Paik thinks is plenty.
"We are stuck in the middle now but we'll try to get back into contention," Paik said. "Winning the title this year is absolutely possible. We will never give up."
Paik's confidence is built upon his belief in Kim Do-heon's offensive schemes designed to capitalize on Paik's offensive instincts.
Since returning from a mostly uninspiring stint in Europe in 2021, the former FC Barcelona youth player has mostly played a defensive role. He is able to take on an offensive assignment, too, and that's exactly what he did in Wednesday's win.
"Today, I hung around near the top and try to use some open space to help the team on the offense," Paik said. "I like both defensive and attacking midfielder positions. Where I play depends on the matchup and in-match situations."
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