K League United
·17 March 2023
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Yahoo sportsK League United
·17 March 2023
Jeju's start to 2023 has been nothing short of uninspiring and disappointing. With two draws and a defeat last weekend, the ACL hopefuls may have to reconsider their pre-season aspirations. Match one saw a disappointing draw to last season's middle-of-the-pack Suwon FC. A game Jeju dominated and came away frustrated to not capitalise on their high quantity of chances, a missed penalty from Yuri in that game saw the Brazilian cap off a poor debut. The second game was no different for The Islanders. No surprise Jeju dominated possession again, and with a debut goal for Reis, things seemed promising. However, a very controversial penalty in the 69th minute saw Barcelos equalise for Daegu and the points were shared evenly. Last week once again saw Jeju leaving frustrated. A goal from Incheon's new man Gerso, who was Jeju's 2022 top playmaker, saw the Tangerines 1-0 down after 21 minutes. In the 85th minute, Jeju winger Ahn Hyun-beom was blatantly brought down in the box and a penalty was awarded. Yet, after a lengthy VAR review, the on-field decision was overruled. Jeju have been left feeling robbed of crucial points for two weeks running and will be expecting their luck to change for good this coming Saturday.
FC Seoul will have nothing to complain about thus far. A tough battle ending in a 2-1 victory against ACL expectants and rivals Incheon United in the Gyeongin Derby and a clinical day in front of goal away to Gwangju, saw FC Seoul one of three teams with 100% records after two matches. Match three saw FC Seoul host fellow perfect-starters, and last year's title winners, Ulsan Hyundai. FC Seoul went ahead eight minutes after the half-time interval, but their lead was short-lived as former Jeju United striker, Joo Min-kyu, equalised two minutes later. The talk of the match, and the weekend as a whole, was FC Seoul's goalkeeping blunder. Choi Cheol-won picked the ball up following a back pass from his teammate. Whilst he was in a state of anger and confusion, Ulsan wasted no time to take the indirect free kick quickly, which saw Lee Chung-yong grab the winner with a tap in on the 88th minute. A deserving victory for Ulsan, but a real kick in the teeth for FC Seoul, and more specifically for Choi.