The match between the Pohang Steelers and FC Seoul in the K League 1 was dubbed the “Kim Ki-Dong Derby,” and it ended in a victory for Pohang. However, Pohang coach Kim Ki-dong had to drink the bitter cup of defeat after switching from Pohang to Seoul.
Pohang, led by Park Tae-ha, defeated Seoul 4-2 in the seventh round of the 2024 K League 1 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday.
The win kept Pohang atop the league standings with five wins, one draw, and one loss (16 points), while also extending their unbeaten streak to six matches (five wins, one draw), highlighting Park’s leadership. Pohang also scored four goals for the first time this season.
Seoul, on the other hand, was disappointed to lose at home. Notably, Kim’s ‘five-match unbeaten streak’ was snapped in the first meeting with Pohang, the team he led until last season, as they were beaten by four goals. With two wins, three draws, and two losses (9 points), they remain in sixth place. Seoul suffered a major loss of strength when Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard was removed from the roster after undergoing knee surgery the day before. Lingard is expected to be out for more than a month.
Pohang and Seoul were evenly matched in the first half. It was Pohang who struck first. Pohang rattled the net in the 14th minute when Yoo All-joon rushed into the box. On a corner kick, Baek Sung-dong’s kick was deflected off Park Chan-yong’s head and into the net.
Seoul equalized in first-half stoppage time. Son Seung-beom scored the equalizer off a set piece when Ki Sung-yong’s cross was headed home by Kwon Wan-kyu.
Pohang scored three goals in the second half to seal the match. However, Seoul added a second goal in the 19th minute through substitute Willian with a right-footed shot. Pohang tied the game at 2-2 in the 27th minute when substitute Lee Ho-jae finished a cross from Wandelsson with a right-footed 토토 finish. Pohang took the lead in the 31st minute when Park Chan-yong found the back of the net with a sensational right-footed out-front shot from Wandelsson’s cross following a corner kick. Pohang capitalized on their counterattack chances, and Jung Jae-hee scored the game-winning goal to make it 4-2.
“We didn’t give up after coming back and continued to play the way we wanted to play,” Park said after the game, “and our substitutes scored goals. These two things were the driving force behind the victory.”
Kim added: “We lost concentration on the set piece. From then on, we conceded because we put a lot of numbers in front of us to catch up,” he said, adding, “If we were in our normal form, we wouldn’t have conceded four goals.”
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