August 18, 2023
This week-end saw round 27 in the 2023 South Korean K-League, with just 6 matches remaining before the league splits into the top 6 and bottom 6 for the final 5 matches of the season. Today’s encounter was a meeting between 6th and 5th, as both sides battled for a top 6 finish.
Incheon have twice previously featured in these diaries, winning 2-1 at Suwon Bluewings in July 2021 and then beating the same opponents 1-0 at home in the opening fixture in the 2022 season.
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2021/07/suwon-bluewings-1-2-incheon-united-att.html
https://fatbearssportingdiaries.blogspot.com/2022/02/incheon-united-1-0-suwon-bluewings-att.html
Incheon went on to finish 4th in 2022, qualifying for the qualifying rounds of the 2023 AFC Champions League, where they face Vietnamese side Hai Phong at home on August 2022 in a one-off tie.
The star player for Incheon in 2022 was Montenegrin striker Stefan Mugosa, who scored 14 goals ( and 68 in 129 appearances for the club ) before departing mid-season to Japanese side Vissel Kobe for a reported fee of €950K. However, the move didn’t work out, and Mugosa returned to Incheon during the 2023 Korean summer transfer window, and scored in his second game back last week, in a 3-1 win at home to Daegu.
Incheon started the 2023 season slowly and spent most of the early parts of the campaign in the bottom 4. However, a run of just 2 losses in the last 14 matches has seen them rise to 6th place.
Gwanju were promoted back to the K-League last year after one year’s absence, having been relegated at the end of 2021. Gwanju did feature in the round-up of week 1 of the 2020 season when the K-League became the first so-called “major” league to restart after the Covid suspension, but after being K2 Champions in 2019, they lost at home 0-2 to Seongnam.
Of the three foreigners to represent Gwanju that day, Uzbek centre-back Rustam Ashurmatov is now with Russian side Rubin Kazan, Brazilian forward Felipe now plays of Chinese Super League club Chengdu whilst Costa Rican forward Marcos Urena is now back home with CS Cartagines after a spell with A-League Central Coast Mariners.
Gwanju have enjoyed a good season back at the elite level, and like Incheon, went into today’s fixture in good form, with a run of just one loss in 13 games taking them to 5th place in the table, two points ahead of Incheon. Although league leaders Ulsan Hyundai were out of sight 19 points ahead of Gwanju, both sides retained hopes of a top 4 finish, and a place in next year’s AFC Champions League.
The two sides looked evenly matched, with Incheon possessing a 4-6-3 home record, with Gwanju being 4-5-4 away from home, the 4th best in the K-League.
Gwanju is the 6th largest metropolis in South Korea with a population of around 1.5 million and their journey to Incheon was around 250km, which usually takes 3 and half hours by road.
The foreigners in Gwanju’s squad this season are ex-Kisvarda and Partizani Albanian winger Jasir Asani ( 3 caps ), ex-Hamburg, Sassuolo and AZ Alkmaar Dutch centre-back Timo Letschert, ex Flamengo and Apollon Smyrnis Brazilian midfielder Thomas Bedinelli, ex-Newcastle Jets and Xanthi Georgian forward Beka Mikeltadze ( 2 caps ) and Australian defender Aaron Calver.
Gwangju’s 33 goals this season have been shared amongst 18 different players, with Asani the leading scorer on 5. The Albanian was their most valuable player according to Transfermrkt at €700K, with 21 year-old South Korean Under 22 International midfielder Ji-Sung Eom the next at €650K.
In addition to Mugosa, Incheon’s foreign legion consisted of ex Tottenham Hotspur youth player and Congolese winger Paul-Jose M’Poku ( 22 caps ), who has played for Leyton Orient, Standard Liege and Panathinaikos, Guinea-Bissau winger Gerso Fernandes who has played for Estoril, Belenenses and Sporting Kansas, Brazilian forward Hernandes Rodrigues, and Australian centre-back Harrison Delbridge ( 1 cap )
The match was being shown live on K-League TV and Bet365.com, who made Incheon 5/4 favourites, with Gwanju and the draw both at 2/1.
Tickets for the game at the 20,891 capacity Incheon Football Stadium ranged from 12,000 Won ( £7 ) for seats behind the goal to 52,000 ( £30 ) for the Premium seats including some hospitality.
The weather at the 19.00 local time kick-off was sunny and 29 degrees after some light showers during the day.
The squads for today’s match showed it was clash between the Kims and Lees, with 7 players named Kim involved for Incheon and 6 Lees for Gwanju.
The visitors had a set-back before the game when Letschert pulled up injured and captain Young-Kyu Ahn was drafted in to take his place in the centre of the defence. Gwanju had selected Mikeltadze ahead of top scorer Asani.
For Incheon, Bo Sub Kim, was indeed a sub……
Incheon were in their familiar Inter Milan style blue and black stripes with black shorts, whilst Gwangju were in a change kit from their normal all yellow, today wearing all white with red trim and numbers.
The home fans behind one of the goals were in good form at the kick-off, with numerous flags being waved and constant signing, including a Korean version of “Here We Go” ! Around a hundred or so Gwangju fans had made the journey and were situated in a corner at the other end of the ground.
The start of the game was cagey, as both sides patiently played the ball around and there was little to report early on. Incheon’s Mugosa increasingly looks like a Bond Villian, whilst team-mate Delbridge was a dead-ringer for PC Rob Walker in UK TV’s Heartbeat !
During a break for an injury to an Incheon player, a spectator could clearly be seen dipping his chopsticks into a box of food, so the stadium catering in Incheon is appears to be acceptable for the locals !
The first piece of action occurred in the 11th minute, when Gerso ran past his marker and stretching to keep the ball in play, fired a low cross across the face of the goal. However, he had strayed offside so it would have counted for nothing had anything accrued.
Gwangju’s created their first chance in the 16th minute. A corner was punched away by the Incheon keeper when under no pressure and it would have been an easy catch. Gwangju recycled possession, and a cross from the left wing was dummied by Mikeltadze, allowing Calver to take a touch, but his left-footed close range shot was blocked by fellow Aussie Delbridge with an important piece of defending.
The first yellow card of the game arrived in the 18th minute when Eom clattered into Min near the touchline. Gwangju’s HJ Kim made a good run into the Incheon penalty area but his cross was straight at keeper Lee who made the catch, to loud cheers from the fans behind his goal.
Incheon’s response was a flowing break featuring Gerso, Moon and Min but when Min went to the floor after a challenge by Calver, the referee ruled no penalty, and the replays showed it was an excellent decision by the man in orange/pink.
The best chance of the match so far then came in the 25th minute. A cross from the left was met at the near post with a fabulous header by the 6 foot 4 inch striker Yool Heo, a giant by Korean standards, which was matched by an even better save from the keeper, diving low to his right, to push away at the base of his post for a corner.
Calver then required attention for a leg injury, which involved heavy strapping being applied to his upper left leg, but he was able to continue.
The pattern of the game had become Gwangju dominating possession, with Incheon looking to counter on the break, with the lively Gerso to the fore. The TV graphic after 30 minutes shown the possession to be 60/40 in favour of the visitors.
H Lee was then teed up to have a shot in the 33rd minute for Gwangju but his low effort lacked power and was easily saved.
The home side finally managed a shot on target in the 42nd minute. A long ball down the right-hand channel found Mugosa, who controlled on his chest, turned and volleyed. However, from a tight angle, the attempt was straight at the keeper, who was able to cling onto the ball.
The final chance of the first half was for Gwangju. A ball over the home back-line reached Eom, but he was unable to properly control and the Incheon keeper bravely came off his line to gather and was rewarded by Eom colliding with him.
At the half-time interval, a game between two evenly matched sides on paper, was indeed evenly matched, and it remained goal-less. There had been precious few chances, but the best had been Heo’s header.
Calver remained in the dressing room as Gwangju were forced to make the first change of the game, SM Lee joining Ahn in the heart of the defence.
It didn’t take long for the game to burst into life. Gwangju’s Eom sent a curling shot from just outside the area into the hands of keeper Lee, who immediately kicked the ball downfield. The ball sailed over the Gwangju defenders for Gerso to run onto, control on his chest, and then steer left-footed past the keeper at his right-hand post to give Incheon the lead after 49 minutes played. It was route one football at it’s finest !
The visitors nearly hit back soon after, as Doo’s cross was headed on by Mikeltadze but Heo couldn’t reach it and YS Kim put the ball off for a corner via his thigh.
Incheon though, were starting to exert some control on the game, and after Gwangju lost possession near half-way, the ball was worked nicely out to the left but Jeong’s cross was claimed by the keeper.
Gwangju attempted to change the flow of the game by bringing on Asani and Thomas but the initial impact was another goal for Incheon. Mugosa took possession just outside his own area, and delivered a low, raking pass through the heart of the Gwangju defence for Gerso to chase. The Guinea-Bissau frontman appeared to be too strong for Ahn, who under pressure could only prod the ball weakly back towards his keeper. Gerso latched onto it, rounded the keeper, went to the goal-line and then back-heeled the ball into the empty net. 2-0 after 59 minutes.
Although Asani saw a low shot of the area go narrowly wide, with a corner awarded, Gwangju at this point rarely looked like getting back into the match. However, that all changed in the 78th minute. It looked a little optimistic as Asani lined up to take a pot-shot from a 30+ yard free-kick, but his left-footed effort curled over the wall, and away from the keeper for a spectacular goal.
Gwangju were back in the game and shortly after Gerso was forced off with an injury, leaving Incheon without their main release of pressure. It then became a matter of whether Incheon could hold onto their lead as Gwangju pressed for the equaliser.
The visitors should have levelled the match in the 86th minute but Eom’s header from the 6 yard line from a free-kick was straight at the keeper, who was able to push the ball away. Eom stretched for the rebound but his goalward attempt hit the diving keeper’s face and went off for a corner. Had the header been a yard either side of the keeper it would have almost certainly been goal. Eom also met the resultant in-swinging corner, but his header hit his own team-mate and went off for a goal-kick.
Incheon did get out of their own half briefly as JY Kim played the ball down the right touch-line for BS Kim to cross, but Cheon put the ball a couple of yards wide at the near post.
Thomas was getting into good positions on the left for Gwangju but his crosses came to nothing, and Asani’s desperate effort sailed 20 yards wide.
However, disaster struck for Incheon three minutes into added time. The home defence backed-off and allowed SM Lee space to cross into the danger zone. GH Lee managed to get his head to the ball from near to the penalty spot to send the ball in the direction of the goal. Keeper Lee attempted to push the ball one handed over the bar but only succeeded in pushing the ball high into the air and it bounced into the corner of the goal before a defender could clear. It looked a pretty regulation save to push two handed over the bar.
Back on level terms, Gwangju sensed a winner and surged forward. Incheon were hanging on and unconvincingly cleared a corner, and in the final minute of the 6 added on, Ahn headed inches wide after the keeper had come and failed to reach a cross.
At the final whistle both sides could feel aggrieved by not taking the three points. Leading 2-0 with 12 minutes remaining, Incheon ought to have seen the game out, but at the end came so close to losing. Gwangju will feel they could have snatched a winner at the death. Overall though, on balance, a draw was perhaps a fair result.
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6c-z7jPrOQ
Incheon Online Magazine : https://www.incheonutd.com/resource/image/content/magazine/pdf/2023_08.pdf
Incheon United : TH Lee – YS Kim, DM Kim, Delbridge – JY Kim, MJ Lee ( BS Kim ), Moon, DH Kim, Min ( DY Jeong )– Mugosa ( Cheon ), Gerso ( MS Kim )
Gwangju FC : K Kim – Doo, Calver ( SM Lee ) , Ahn, MG Lee – HJ Kim ( Thomas ), H Lee ( SG Lee ), HY Jeong, Eom – Heo ( KH Lee ), Mikeltadze ( Asani )
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