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| ▲ Lee Hyun-sik of Daejeon Hana Citizen (R) scores 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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| ▲ Lee Hyun-sik of Daejeon Hana Citizen (L) celebrates his goal against Gangwon FC with teammate Park Jin-seop 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) |
football-playoffs
Daejeon beat Gangwon to move closer to K League promotion
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, Dec. 8 (Yonhap) -- Daejeon Hana Citizen defeated Gangwon FC 1-0 on Wednesday to take a major step toward a promotion to the top flight in South Korean football.
Midfielder Lee Hyun-sik scored the match's lone goal in the 50th minute at Hanbat Stadium in Daejeon, some 160 kilometers south of Seoul, to lift his club to a crucial opening victory in the two-legged K League promotion-relegation playoffs.
The return leg is 2 p.m. Sunday at Gangneung Stadium, Gangwon FC's home in Gangneung, about 230 kilometers east of the capital.
The winner, to be determined on the aggregate score with the away goals rule in effect, will compete in the K League 1 next year. The loser will end up in the K League 2.
Daejeon Hana Citizen last played in the K League 1 in 2015. They finished the 2021 K League 2 season in third place and then survived two rounds of playoffs to reach the promotion-relegation showdown.
Gangwon ended up in these playoffs after finishing in 11th place, second from last, in the top division. They'd spent three seasons, from 2014 to 2016, in the second division before earning promotion to the K League 1.
The teams were scoreless in a quiet first half, but Daejeon broke the ice five minutes into the second half.
Midfielder Masatoshi Ishida drove the ball deep into the box and drew three defenders to himself. As they were caught watching the ball, Gangwon players left Lee Hyun-sik open near the penalty spot. And when Ishida set him up for a shot, Lee made no mistake as he found the top shelf past goalkeeper Lee Gwang-yeon.
Gangwon nearly leveled the score four minutes later, when Lim Chai-min's volley, set up by Kim Dae-won's free kick, rang off the right goal post and stayed out of the net.
K League 2 teams earned promotions in five of the seven previous promotion-relegation playoffs.
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