Gwangju sink Seoul in Sangam thriller | OneFootball

Gwangju FC warmed up for next week's trip to Saudi Arabia with a brilliant defensive display in Sangam to leave with all three points.

Gwangju FC are second in K League 1 after a superb display in Sangam on Saturday night. Lee Jung-hyo couldn't hide his delight, racing off to greet his traveling supporters who were already belting their theme tune, Namhaeng Yeolcha, in a stunned World Cup Stadium. This was the classic Gwangju away performance under Lee. It was a niggly, confrontational, backs-against-the-wall display against superior opposition that ultimately won out.

Goals in each half from Brazilian Reis and Park Tae-jun delivered the victory, but Gwangju were forced to win this at both ends of the field. After a tough opening, they settled and deservedly took a one goal lead into the break. Seoul never left the dressing room, with their front three surprisingly quiet. That all changed after the break, and the introduction of Moon Seon-min. Seoul were a different team but after hitting the woodwork and seeing several good chances go abegging, Park Tae-jun settled the game in Gwangju's favor after a neat finish.

Captain Jesse Lingard ensured a grandstand finish when he pulled one back with 10 minutes to play. Gwangju, however, held on reasonably well. The majority of Seoul's best chances came before Lingard's consolation. For the remainder of the match, Gwangju defended with reasonable comfort, happy to give away free kicks and pick up yellow cards. Despite the victory, inspirational manager Lee didn't say much in the press conference, instead focusing on the energy of the supporters and the trip to Saudi Arabia.

This was a bitterly disappointing result for Seoul. Whatever Kim Gi-dong said to his men after the break worked, but, in the end, his side was left with too much to do following Park's strike. His team are still missing an out-and-out striker with Cho Young-wook again struggling to make an impression leading the line. Seoul are in the conversation for a title challenge but because of this loss, they are now seven points adrift.

Seoul were back on home soil after the come-from-behind draw with leaders Daejeon Hana Citizen last week. Trailing by two at the break, Kim Gi-dong's men rallied to leave with a share of the spoils. The manager did make two changes from the draw, with Ki Seung-yong and Jeong Seung-won making way for Lee Seung-mo and Kang Ju-hyeok, respectively. They lined up in their traditional 4-2-3-1 formation with Cho Young-wook looking to add to his solitary goal this year.

Moon Seon-min has quietened any doubters after his winter move from Jeonbuk. The Korean international has arguably been Seoul's best performer this year, even though he is often used off the bench. With two goals and one assist in eight matches, his contribution can't be overlooked. Only captain Jesse Lingard has more goals.

Today's visitors, Gwangju, were beaten in Gangwon last weekend, producing one of their worst performances in an otherwise good campaign so far. Manager Lee Jung-hyo largely kept faith with the same starting 11 from Chuncheon despite heading to Saudi Arabia for the AFC Elite quarters next weekend. Albanian superstar Jairo Asani was on the bench, however, with Brazilian Gabriel Tigrão taking his spot on the right wing.

Seoul and Gwangju entered the weekend on 13 points in joint 4th but Daejeon's 2-1 win at second placed Gimcheon Sangmu earlier in the day pushed the leaders seven points clear of these sides. Even though there's a long way to go, and Daejeon are likely to suffer a dip in form, trailing by this margin isn't ideal. As expected, it was Seoul who started on the front foot, and mostly attacked down their right side through Choi Jun, Lee Seung-mo, and Kang Ju-hyeok.

The first 30 minutes were an annoyingly start-stop affair as neither side could impose themselves on the game. A thunderstorm before kick ensured the surface was skiddy but an endless stream of niggly, scrappy fouls absolutely killed whatever momentum there was. Choi Jun was targeted often by Gwangju, much to the annoyance of the home dugout.

A clever set piece on 39 minutes brought the game's first save. Gwangju appeared to waste a corner but a neat cut back led to a small goalmouth scramble. When the ball came out to Kim Ji-ho on the edge of the box, his volley went through a lot of players before keeper Kang Hyeon-mo pushed it behind for a corner. Kang saw the ball late. It was a good save. Gwangju went close again but an offside call rescued Seoul.

Gwangju didn't have to wait long before their next big opportunity, and when it came, Brazilian Reis found the back of the net. His shot from the edge of the D took a slight deflection taking it away from Kang. Reis celebrated with his teammates in front of the vocal home fans and they had every right to cheer. This was a thoroughly deserved goal after a defensive opening quarter.

The half fizzled out for Seoul after a promising opening. The attacking trio of Lucas, Lingard, and Cho never clicked in a disappointing team display. Kim Gi-dong had a big half-time team talk to turn this around.

Step one to shifting the tide in your favor is brining on Moon Seon-min, Seoul's rescue man. The winger replaced Kang Ju-hyeok at the break, probably earlier than expected. Moon almost produced an instant impact. He chased down a nothing cross on the right, retrieving the ball before it went out for a goal kick. After Yazan fresh-aired the ball, Kim Ju-seong's volley bounced inches wide of the post.

What followed was pure chaos. Lee Seung-mo went close with another long range effort shortly after Kim's dive. Seoul were in the ascendancy, winning three corners in seven minutes. One of those corners led to Lucas launching an unstoppable shot off the right hand post from an impossible angle. Several goalmouth scrambles later, Seoul were convinced they had earned a penalty when Cho Young-wook's shot appeared top strike an arm.

Boos rang around Sangam, with Kim Jin-su leading the protests. VAR never asked the referee to review his decision, signaling their support for the official. The implementation of VAR might be despised by some fans and footballers, but in case the system worked. Seoul were angry but there is an opportunity for a separate team of officials to guide the referee towards another conclusion. And when the referee called play on, the boos instantly died down, and the chants returned.

Lee Seung-mo headed over unmarked from seven yards a minute later. Lee was having a good game but he absolutely needed to hit the target in that situation. The first 15 minutes had flown by. Next goal was crucial.

There was a second goal but unlike the first, this one did not go with the run of play. After weathering a major assault, Gwangju doubled their lead with their first opportunity of the half. Seoul couldn't clear the ball properly and after a ricochet, it landed on Park Tae-jun's chest. Park took one touch before blasting past Kang to register his first league goal of the season.

Seoul were in big trouble.

The former Jeonbuk pair of Kim Jin-su and Moon created another opportunity on 68 minutes, but Cho headed over unmarked from 10 yards. It wasn't an easy chance, with the striker stretching his neck to make connection. However, it was systematic of a frustrating game for Seoul. Their attacking play was limited to shots from distance and awkward free headers glancing harmlessly over.

Just when it seemed like Seoul were out of ideas, Kim Gi-dong replaced Cho with Marko Dugandzic and within 60 seconds, the big Croatian striker played a key role in Seoul's response. Dugandzic had a shot from the edge of the box, but it was blocked, bouncing perfectly into Lingard's path. The former England midfielder rounded Kim Kyeong-min to slide the ball home.

Game on and plenty of time. Flashbacks to last weekend's draw with Daejeon were inevitable. Seoul were much improved in the second period and now had all the momentum. It was edge of the seat stuff. And when the fourth official emerged, he announced eight additional minutes. I don't think anyone wanted this match to end.

Commentators always say teams have one big chance in them as the final seconds approach. Seoul, though, never had that one big chance. It was oddly easy for Gwangju to see the game out. They picked up four yellow cards for arguing or time wasting after the 90th minute but apart from a bit of Moon Magic, Seoul never created anything of note. When it ended, it all ended quietly.

It needs repeating. Gwangju FC are second. This is a remarkable achievement for a club of its size in a city with a lukewarm, at best, interest in football. Lee Jung-hyo is a genius. That is all.

Up next

FC Seoul are heading down to Kim Gi-dong's former club Pohang Steelers next Sunday at 2 pm. After a disastrous start to the season, Pohang have regained form of late as they look to enter the title race. This is the sides' first meeting of the year.

Gwangju FC travel to Saudi Arabia following this match to face Al-Hilal in the AFC Champions League Elite next weekend. As a result, Gwangju will not be in K League action until they head to Munsu for a big meeting with defending champions Ulsan HD.

The next fixture between Seoul and Gwangju will be on Friday, June 13 at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium.

Attendance: 19,234