Daegu FC Sparkle While Pohang Steelers Collaspe
K League R2 Review
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Controversy Begins
Round two of the K League’s budding 2025 season delivered another exciting weekend of action. Credit to all the fans and players who braved the frigid zero-degree conditions to make it the spectacle it was. However, concerns over pitch conditions resurfaced, worsened by the cold weather. Unfortunately, it looks like we've lost two players for several months due to the hard, dry surfaces.
After the match, Gwangju FC coach Lee Jung-hyo and Jeonbuk’s Lee Seung-woo heavily criticized the pitch conditions, calling them outright dangerous.
The Seoul World Cup Stadium pitch—set to host national team stars Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, and Kim Min-jae next month—was also in poor shape. The ball took erratic bounces, and players frequently lost their footing due to its unevenness. Opening the season early just for the Club World Cup hardly seems to justify the injury risks, which were all too evident this weekend.
League authorities introduced a rule this season allowing stadium changes if a pitch fails to meet standards. But in reality, there are no real standards—just godforsaken mounds of sand and dirt.
Round Two
Ulsan HD returned to winning ways with a comfortable away victory over Daejeon Hana Citizen, who came crashing back to earth after their impressive opening-day win.
Ulsan’s east coast rivals, Pohang Steelers, extended their losing streak after suffering a stoppage-time collapse away at Gangwon FC—mirroring what Daegu FC had done to Gangwon the previous week. Gangwon’s 2-1 comeback secured coach Chung Kyung-ho his first win.
The much-anticipated first-ever league derby between FC Seoul and FC Anyang went to the home side, thanks to a huge stroke of luck on FC Seoul’s opening goal, which was credited to Jesse Lingard.
Daegu FC continued their strong start to the season with an impressive 3-1 home win over Suwon FC, showcasing their attacking prowess.
In an unexpected five-goal thriller, Gimcheon Sangmu secured their first win of the season with a dramatic 3-2 victory at Jeju SK, coming from behind twice.
Sunday’s action saw another entertaining clash, as Jeonbuk and Gwangju played out an exciting 2-2 draw.
Goal of the Round
Lee Dong-gyeong (Gimcheon Sangmu)
There weren’t many well-constructed goals over the weekend, with several coming from direct play, defensive mistakes, or set pieces. However, Lee’s effort stands out as the goal of the week—taking the ball in stride, cutting inside to leave the Jeju defenders for dead, and applying a clinical finish.
Lee has started this season just as he did last year, when he was in red-hot form for Ulsan HD. If he keeps this up, a call-up to the KNT for the March World Cup qualifiers could be on the cards.
Player of the Round
Lee Ji-ho (Gangwon FC)
The 22-year-old Korea University graduate may need to work on his celebration after a hilarious crash into the advertisement boards.
That aside, Lee’s performance was exemplary, showcasing a diverse skill set in just his second professional appearance. He put in a tireless 95-minute shift, displaying incredible energy to make injury-time runs behind the Pohang defense—and the composure to match—expertly chipping Hwang In-jae to turn the game on its head.
Playing on the less familiar right side this week, opposite to where he featured last time, Lee Ji-ho’s performance made it all the more surprising that he spent four years in university football before turning professional. It’s not as if he hadn’t put up the numbers at the college level either.
Last week, after grabbing an assist from the left, Gangwon had reason to believe they’d found a suitable replacement for Yang Min-hyuk. Lee also had a golden chance to double the lead in that match against Daegu FC, but his composure let him down.
His second goal against Pohang might have been a contender for goal of the round—if not for the fact that it came from a simple long ball that Pohang somehow failed to deal with. Throughout the game, he gave Korean national team left-back Lee Tae-seok a torrid time, just as he had done to Hwang Jae-won the previous week (see below). His upper body strength, ball control, and dribbling were all on full display.
Lee stole the headlines, and with his performance, thoughts of Yang Hyun-jun and Yang Min-hyuk resurfaced—it looks like Gangwon FC may have unearthed yet another gem.
Match of the Round
Gangwon FC 2-1 Pohang Steelers
(2.29 Xg vs 0.62 Xg)
There were direct parallels between Gangwon FC’s 2-1 defeat to Daegu FC last week and this dramatic turnaround victory. Pohang Steelers were on the verge of securing a much-needed win but collapsed in bizarre fashion, allowing two long balls to find Lee Ji-ho in injury time—twice.
Lee Ho-jae had given the visitors the lead just before halftime, heading in from a corner. However, the East Coast side struggled to build on their advantage, managing an uncharacteristically low 34% possession.
Gangwon FC secured their first win under manager Chung Kyung-ho, demonstrating impressive tactical flexibility by switching from a 3-4-3 in the first half to a 4-4-2 in the second while still maintaining control. Despite dominating, they ultimately relied on two route-one goals to seal the victory—but they have far fewer concerns than Pohang.
The Steelers, already reeling from missing out on the lucrative ACLE knockout stage midweek, have now suffered back-to-back league defeats. Adding to their woes, manager Park Tae-ha’s decision to ostracize Aspropotamitis from the first-team squad raises questions about whether he is beginning to lose the dressing room.
MOM Lee Ji-ho (Gangwon FC)
Up Next Gangwon FC host Jeju Sk, while Pohang hunt that first win at home to top of the table Daegu FC
Jeju SK 2-3 Gimcheon Sangmu
(1.02 Xg vs 3.28 Xg)
A surprise comeback thriller saw the away team, despite dominating, twice come from behind to secure the win. Jeju capitalized on counterattacks for both of their goals, though Gimcheon goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon will likely want to improve his positioning in similar situations.
Lee Dong-gyeong was once again at the heart of all of Gimcheon’s best play, contributing to all three goals—including the 'goal of the week.' Last season’s set-piece specialists were at it again, with their second equalizer coming from a corner, though it was largely aided by Song Ju-hun’s flick-on after failing to win a foul.
Jeju have a tendency to throw away points at home, with their M.O. being either edging close games or conceding late to turn wins into draws. This time, it was Won Ki-jong who stepped up to score his first-ever K League 1 goal, reacting quickest after Kim Dong-jun could only parry Lee Dong-gyeong’s powerful shot.
MOM Lee Dong-gyeong (Gimcheon Sangmu)
Up Next Gimcheon face FC Seoul on Monday while Jeju SK travel to Gangwon FC for their first away game of the season.
FC Seoul 2-1 FC Anyang
(1.86 Xg vs 0.41 Xg)
The highly anticipated first-ever league derby between the two clubs went ahead without any flares in the stands—and not much flair on the pitch either. It was a tight affair until Jesse Lingard’s fortunate yet aesthetically pleasing deflected goal just after halftime sent most of the 40,000-plus crowd into raptures.
FC Seoul dominated much of the second half and sealed the win with an excellently taken side volley from Lucas Silva. A late consolation goal from Choi Sung-beom ensured the large away following at least had something to celebrate on their big day out.
MOM Jesse Lingard (FC Seoul)
Up Next FC Seoul play on the national holiday Monday against Gimcheon Sangmu while FC Anyang play away again at Gwangju FC
Daegu FC 3-1 Suwon FC
(2.66 Xg vs 1.43 Xg)
For the second week in a row, Daegu FC peppered their opponent’s goal with over 20 shots. Their passing numbers and accuracy have also improved from last season. Daegu managed more than 500 passes in just four games throughout 2024 but have already hit that mark twice this season. The switch from a back three to a back four has proven highly effective in the early stages of 2025.
Not much can be said for Suwon FC, who don’t look ready for the season—evidenced by their decision to bench Anderson, only to sub him in for U-22 player Choi San in the first half. Their lax approach to marking was also exposed, particularly at the corner that led to Caio’s uncontested leap for Daegu’s third goal.
MOM Cesinha (Daegu FC)
Up Next Suwon FC travel to Daejeon while Daegu have their first away game at struggling Pohang.
Jeonbuk 2-2 Gwangju FC
(0.88 Xg vs 0.51 Xg)
We’re seeing plenty of spirit under Gus Poyet’s Jeonbuk, but the defensive errors that have plagued them in recent seasons remain an issue—this time, both of their new defensive signings were guilty of mistakes. On the bright side, their new attacking signing is settling in well, bagging a brace and already netting his fourth headed goal since joining.
The resilience to come from behind twice, as they did last week, along with their strong threat from wide areas, are encouraging signs heading into next week’s Hyundai Derby against Ulsan.
Gwangju FC’s goals didn’t come from their usual slick possession play but rather two direct long balls—both, however, were finished with aplomb. It’s hard to pick the better strike between Asani’s opener and Oh Hu-seong’s third goal in a week.
This game got quite spicy, and in the end, a draw was probably the fairest result..
MOM Compagno (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
Up Next Jeonbuk away to Ulsan and Gwangju are at home to FC Anyang before their ACLE trip to Kobe in midweek
Daejeon Hana Citizen 0-2 Ulsan HD
(0.6 Xg vs 3.19 Xg)
The defending champions put on a clinical display, giving Daejeon little to work with in a commanding win—reminding everyone who’s still the top dog in the division.
On a shabby pitch, Swedish midfield magician Bojanic worked wonders on both sides of the ball. Not only did he provide two assists, but he also recorded four key passes and dictated the tempo of the game.
Daejeon came crashing back to earth after their 3-0 opening-day win, managing just a single shot on target. Ulsan’s Seo Myung-kwan did an excellent job of keeping ex-Ulsan striker Joo Min-gyu quiet throughout.
MOM Bojanic (Ulsan HD)
Up Next Ulsan host Jeonbuk in the Hyundai derby while Daejeon host Suwon FC.
