football-promotion
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| ▲ Daejeon Hana Citizen players celebrate their 1-0 victory over Gangwon FC in the first leg of the K League promotion-relegation playoffs at Hanbat Stadium in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Dec. 8, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Gangwon FC players react to their 1-0 loss to Daejeon Hana Citizen in the first leg of the K League promotion-relegation playoffs at Hanbat Stadium in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Dec. 8, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Masatoshi Ishida of Daejeon Hana Citizen (front) congratulates teammate Lee Hyun-sik on Lee's goal against Gangwon FC during the first leg of the K League promotion-relegation playoffs at Hanbat Stadium in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Dec. 8, 2021. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Daejeon Hana Citizen head coach Lee Min-sung (L) and Gangwon FC head coach Choi Yong-soo shake hands before the first leg of the K League promotion-relegation playoffs at Hanbat Stadium in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, on Dec. 8, 2021. (Yonhap) |
football-promotion
Daejeon nearing return to S. Korean football's top division after 6 years away
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Yonhap) -- It has been six years since Daejeon Hana Citizen last played with the big boys in South Korean football. And the second-division club can punch a ticket back to the top flight this weekend.
Daejeon will visit Gangwon FC in Gangneung, some 230 kilometers east of Seoul, at 2 p.m. on Sunday for the last leg of the K League's promotion-relegation playoffs. Daejeon won the opening match 1-0 on Wednesday and with away goals rule in effect, a draw on Sunday will be enough to send Daejeon back to the K League 1.
Daejeon have been stuck in the K League 2 since getting relegated in 2015. Gangwon spent three seasons in the K League 2, from 2014 to 2016, but have been in the K League 1 every season since 2017.
History is on Daejeon's side. In seven previous promotion-relegation playoffs, K League 2 clubs have earned promotions five times. Also, five clubs that claimed their opening legs all went on to win the playoffs, too.
Daejeon were the second-highest scoring team in the K League 2 this season with 56 goals in 38 games, and they also gave up the third-most goals with 49. They didn't suddenly transform themselves into some defensive juggernaut in the first match against Gangwon, and sticking to their identity worked in Daejeon's favor.
Though Daejeon will only need a draw, head coach Lee Min-sung said after Wednesday's win that it will be "dangerous" for his players to start thinking about settling for anything less than a win.
"We've been an aggressive team all year, and we're not going to hold ourselves back just to play a defensive-minded game," Lee added.
After finishing third from the bottom in the K League 1 with 40 goals in 38 matches this season, Gangwon will desperately need some offense on Sunday.
Otherwise, what has already been a tumultuous season will end on a sour note. Gangwon's dismal campaign included a COVID-19 outbreak, a car accident that sidelined some key players in spring, and the midseason firing of head coach Kim Byung-soo, who had earlier been accused of assaulting one of his assistant coaches.
Former FC Seoul head coach Choi Yong-soo was hired as Kim's replacement in November, with only two games left on the season. He failed to keep Gangwon out of the relegation zone and he could find himself in the second division for the first time in his illustrious coaching career.
Choi said Wednesday the thought of coaching in the lower division hadn't entered his mind and his focus was only on winning the next game.
"I am confident our players will bounce back from this and play a much different match at home," Choi said. "We have a lot of experienced players, and they're going to turn this around."
It had to sting Gangwon extra hard that two of their former players, Masatoshi Ishida and Lee Hyun-sik, connected for Daejeon's winning goal on Wednesday.
Ishida drew multiple defenders to himself with a dangerous foray into the box and set up Lee, who was left open for a shot from near the penalty spot.
Ishida, who didn't have any goals or assists in nine games with Gangwon this year, led Daejeon with nine goals in just 15 matches after switching clubs on a loan deal. The Japanese midfielder has also endeared himself to his teammates and fans by giving interviews in ever-improving Korean and delivering the team's favorite rally cry, "Promotion. Let's stake our lives on it!"
Ishida, affectionately known as "Masa" here, said he tried not to get too conscious of going up against his former team but he couldn't help himself.
"As the match drew near, I could feel something burning inside me," Ishida said. "I think I lost my composure and overextended myself in the first half. I wanted to help the team dominate this match so that we could score more than two goals."
And just like his coach, Ishida wasn't ready to settle for a draw.
"We'll try to dominate Gangwon even more in the second game, and earn our promotion with a victory," he said.
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