Daejeon Hana Citizen took a comeback victory in the first leg of the promotion play-off (PO), getting one step closer to promotion. It is expected that Daejeon’s dream of promotion to the first division, which has been promoted to promotion PO for two consecutive years, will come true for the first time in eight years.
Daejeon, 2nd in K League 2, won 2-1 in the first leg of the K League 2022 promotion play-off (PO) against Sangmu Kim, 11th in K League 1, held at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium at 7:30 pm on the 26th. Ji-hwan Moon conceded a preemptive goal, but Jo Yu-min’s tie and Joo Se-jong’s winning goal led to the victory.
The home team played a 4-3-3 formation. Leandro, Gong Min-hyun, and Bae Jun-ho took the lead, while Lee Jin-hyun, Lee Hyun-sik, and Joo Se-jong took on the midfield. The back line consisted of Seo Young-jae, Kim Jae-woo, Jo Yu-min, and Kim Min-deok, and Lee Chang-geun kept the goal.
Away team Kim Cheon also faced the 4-3-3 formation. Kyung-Min Kim, Ji-Hyeon Kim, and Ji-Hoon Lee led the team from the forefront. The midfield team was formed by Lee Young-jae, Moon Ji-hwan, and Ko Seung-beom, and the defensive team was Kang Yun-seong, Song Joo-hoon, Park Ji-soo, and Lee Yu-hyeon. The goalkeeper was Hwang In-jae.
The game started and Kim Cheon took the lead in the first half. Two minutes into the first half, Kim Kyung-min’s shot from outside the box went slightly to the left of the goal. Also, in the 8th minute of the first half, Kim Kyung-min knocked down the left flank and a shot was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Daejeon’s chances continued. In the 17th minute of the first half, Leandro’s shot that beat the keeper was caught by the defender with less power. He seemed to hold the mood, but in the 21st minute corner kick, Kim Chun’s Lee Young-jae hit the head of Moon Ji-hwan and broke the net.
In the 27th minute of the first half, Chun Kim replaced Lee Ji-hoon and replaced Kwon Chang-hoon. Daejeon also scored a goal from a corner kick. In the 35th minute of the first half, Jin-hyeon Lee’s kick was not handled properly by In-jae Hwang, the Gimcheon guard, and Yoo-min Jo, who was in front of the gate, kicked in. At the end of the first half, Leandro’s right-footed shot from inside the box missed and swallowed a disappointment.
At the beginning of the second half, a mid-range shot hit by Kimcheon striker Kim Ji-hyun was blocked by Lee Chang-geun. In the 12th minute of the second half, in the counterattack situation, Kim Chun’s shot, which Kwon Chang-hoon drove and hit, did not pass the goalkeeper. In Daejeon, Hwang In-jae caught a shot that Gong Min-hyeon hit from a distance in the 17th minute of the second half. Daejeon immediately replaced Bae Jun-ho with Masa and pushed Kim Cheon to the battlefield.
Victory and defeat were decided in the 20th minute of the second half. In the 21st minute of the second half, Kwon Chang-hoon’s shot from inside the box caught on Lee Chang-geun’s fingertips, and Kim Chun missed a decisive opportunity. Daejeon changed Leandro in the 27th minute and added Kim In-gyun, and the goal was scored one minute later. Gimcheon goalkeeper Hwang In-jae made the mistake of missing an easy-to-handle ball, and Joo Se-jong, who was in front of the door, did not miss and scored.
With this, Daejeon will be able to play in the second match to be held at the Gimcheon Sports Complex in Gyeongbuk on the 29th from a much more advantageous position. Daejeon can achieve the dream of promotion if it wins more than a draw in the second round.
Daejeon, which had not left a big mark in Korean professional football after its foundation in 1997, made an ambitious new start as a corporate club Daejeon Hana Citizen in 2020 after relegation from K League 2 in 2015. After that, he tried to reach the K-League 1 by recruiting a large number of high-profile players through active investment, but it was not enough. In the first season of the re-establishment, they finished 6th in the K League 2, and in the 2021 season, they went to the promotion PO and caught the first game against Gangwon FC, but lost the opportunity as they lost the second game.
In the promotion PO, the team with the most wins at the end of the first and second rounds is the winner. If the number of wins is the same, the combined difference between the 1st and 2nd matches will be calculated. If the difference between the goals and losses is equal, overtime is played. In the event of a draw in overtime, the winning team will be decided by penalty shootout.