Incheon United refused to accept defeat at home on the second anniversary of late coach Yoo Sang-chul’s death.
Incheon played FC Seoul to a 1-1 draw in the 17th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at the Incheon Football Stadium on Sunday, thanks to an early goal from Gerso.
Incheon, which remained unbeaten in six matches, moved up to ninth place with four wins, seven draws and six losses and 19 points. Seoul, meanwhile, reclaimed third place with eight wins, four draws, five losses and 28 points.
Incheon focused on continuing their good form. They made no changes from the starting lineup that defeated Daejeon Hana Citizens 3-1 in the previous round. The team utilized Mpoku’s zero top and bolstered the flanks of Jerso and Kim Bo-seop. “We don’t have a winning streak this season. We had about four chances, but we failed. This time, we want to capitalize on our chances,” he said, aiming for victory 스포츠토토.
There was also another motivation for Incheon not to lose. It was the second anniversary of the loss of coach Yoo’s biggest star. Despite being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2019, Incheon vowed to play a game that would bring comfort to the fans by inheriting the spirit of Yoo, who kept Incheon on the bench and led the team to stay in the K League 1.
Incheon’s motivation led to an early goal. In the 19th minute of the first half, when the two sides were evenly matched, Kim Bo-seob sent in a cross from the left and Gerso got a foot on the doorstep to knock Young off balance. Seoul’s defense was unable to prevent the goal as Lee Tae-seok flew out to block Kim’s cross. Lee was injured in the process and had his head bandaged.
Jerso and Lee continued to clash, and in the 32nd minute of the first half, Jerso made a good breakthrough on Incheon’s counterattack, but this time Lee made a good save. With Lee Tae-seok’s efforts, Seoul tried to score using Willian, but the finishing details were lacking.
The second half resumed with Incheon in the lead, and Seoul soon got back on track. Hwang Eui-jo took advantage. In the seventh minute of the second half, he rattled Incheon’s goal with a right-footed curling kick from some distance away. He received a pass from Ki Sung-yueng and wasted no time in finishing with his right foot when he had a chance in front of the arc.
At 1-1, both teams pulled out their substitutions. Incheon brought on Jung Dong-yoon and Hernandez, while Seoul responded with Osmar and Kim Kyung-min.
The atmosphere heated up as Hwang Ui-jo, who had scored the equalizer, took numerous shots and crosses. Incheon didn’t stop defending either, as Hernandez and Gerso combined to create an effective shot in the 29th minute.
As the game came down to a one-goal game, both teams tried to attack the opponent’s goal, but neither team could find the extra goal they wanted. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.