K League R38 Review - the season ends
Not much at stake in the last round but an eventful round nonetheless with the league's top scorer ending up in nets and the perfect swansong for the retiring Park Ju-young.
Thirty eights rounds complete and the K League 2024 season is in the books, almost. There’s of course still the important promotion/relegation matter to be sorted between K1’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Daegu FC facing off against K2’s Seoul Eland and Chungnam Asan FC, respectively.
The main drama on Saturday was to be found in Gimcheon where the home team were aiming for a record high finish of second, while FC Seoul were battling for the crucial fourth and continental football next year. A thrilling second half saw FC Seoul run away with it in the end winning 3-1 with Gangwon FC able to clinch a deserved second, and their own record high finish of third, by defeating a Pohang Steelers side that ends in the season with the worst form of any team in the league. Ulsan HD and Suwon FC had a ding-dong entertaining battle that ended in Park Ju-young taking all the headlines with his last assist and goal of his career. On Sunday there was little to play for but we did have the entertaining spectacle of the league’s top scorer Stefan Mugosa having a crack at goalkeeper in the dying moments of the Daegu FC vs Incheon United game. Elsewhere, a last minute penalty drew Gwangju FC level at home to Jeonbuk as both sides missed a host of chances. The ultimate dead rubber of the round saw Daejeon come from behind to beat Jeju United.
Player of the Round
Yang Min-hyuk (Gangwon FC) deserves the plaudits for his stellar year at the age of 18 and he leaves the K League for the Premier League with another goal and a game-winning goal as well that put his side in second place. His goal shows all the composure that we’ve come to expect from the teenager as well as his great timing in the runs he makes behind defence. His 12th goal of the season left the entire Pohang Steelers backline in his dust, and he deserves our final ‘Player of the Round’ title.
Goal of the Round
Jeong Seung-won’s first equaliser was probably the pick of the bunch this weekend. The Suwon FC 4-2 loss away to Champions Ulsan HD had a number of decent goals but Jeong’s 25 yard powerful curler was good enough to beat the league MVP nominee Jo Hyun-woo in the Ulsan goal from that range and that makes it good enough for ‘Goal of the Round.’
Match of the Round
Gimcheon 1-3 FC Seoul
Xg 2.26 vs Xg 2.86
FC Seoul got the opener in injury time of the first half, remarkedly similar to their opener from the same the routine against Suwon FC away a few weeks ago. At the start of the second half Gimcheon came out of the blocks flying, and put FC Seoul under heavy pressure but were leaving gaps at the back. The game completely opened up with both goalkeepers pulling off good saves. FC Seoul eventually were able to make the most of the space they were being given with two excellent breakaway goals either side of a Yu Kang-hyun goal for Gimcheon but the army side fell just short in an entertaining encounter, but still record their highest ever K League finish, while FC Seoul will be playing ACL football next year.
MOM Jesse Lingard - excellent set piece delivery for the first goal and played a part in the third.
Ulsan HD 4-2 Suwon FC
Xg 2.25 vs Xg 1.6
A close second for match of the week as the shackles were off for Ulsan HD while Suwon FC still had slim hopes for fourth. A penalty opened the scoring before Jeong Seung-won equalised with our goal of the week. An excellent Kim Min-jun finish put the home team back in front but Jeong once again threatened to spoil the party with his second equaliser. Then entered Park Ju-young and the veteran playing his last league game got an assist and a goal to send the crowd into raptures.
MOM Jeong Seung-won/Park Ju-young
Gangwon FC 1-0 Pohang Steelers
Xg 1.43 vs Xg 1.26
Gangwon were keen to banish the memories of their biggest defeat of the season last time out at Suwon FC, and they did just that with an evenly contested game against Pohang but one settled by ‘who else but’ - our player of the round Yang Min-hyuk. Yang’s first half goal was his 12th of the season and his parting gift to the fans, team and the league as he will next lineup in a Tottenham. It’s quite likely we’ll have to wait until next season in the Premier League 2025/26 to see him as he’ll need time to adapt to the new country, team and improve his English, but this game was a perfect farewell to the league’s Young Player of the Year (Yes I’m calling it already)
MOM Yang Min-hyuk
Daejeon Hana Citizen 2-1 Jeju United
X.g 2.61 vs Xg 0.64
The ultimate dead rubber of the weekend was quite a good game with three goals in the first half. Daejeon ran out deserved winners to end their Final B stint of four wins from five games and only two goals conceded. Jeju will be happy enough as the Final B champions with a platform to build on for next season.
MOM Masa Ishida (Daejeon)
Daegu FC 1-3 Incheon United
Xg 1.19 vs Xg 1.79
Daegu’s intentions were clear with a weakened lineup that this game was not their concern but rather their upcoming playoff to determine their league status this Thursday/Sunday. Incheon reverted back to a 4-3-3 and their performance makes you wonder what if? Deserved win for Incheon and in the last ten minutes we had the pleasure of watching the league’s top scorer try his hand at goalkeeper with the unfortunate Lee Bum-soo going off injured and all subs had been used. Cue Daegu shooting on site and Mugosa pulling off a number of decent, but unorthodox, saves.
MOM Harrison Delbridge
Gwangju FC 1-1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Xg 1.8 vs Xg 2.0
Gwangju FC equalised in the last minute from a spot kick in a game that will be remembered for its missed chances more than anything else with Lee Gun-hee of Gwangju particularly wasteful in front of goal. Gwangju finish in a lowly, but safe, ninth placed - one above Jeonbuk who now face Seoul Eland in the relegation playoffs over the next two Sundays.
MOM Kim Kyung-min