Busan I-Park shows off its No. 1 form. They completed a thrilling upset victory over ‘nemesis’ Bucheon FC. They cruised to automatic promotion to the K League 1.
Busan IPark, led by head coach Park Jin-seop, came from behind to win the Hana OneQ K League 2 2023 home match against Bucheon FC 2-1 on the 29th at Busan Asiadju Stadium. Busan remained unbeaten in nine matches (8 wins, 1 draw) and remained in first place. The gap between them and second-place Gimcheon Commerce (64 points), who have played one game less, has also widened to five points.
Busan was in a tight race for the top spot. They were in first place with 66 points from their previous 33 matches. They were battling with second-place Gimcheon Commerce (64 points) for the top spot. The top spot in K League 2 this season is an automatic promotion to K League 1 next season.
The mood was not bad. Busan was unbeaten in its previous eight matches (seven wins and one draw). The stadium was packed with a season-high 16,438 fans (13,340 paid). Even the “Busan Legend,” Kim Joo-sung, the secretary general of the East Asian Football Confederation, was on hand to cheer on the youngsters.
There was a catch. It was the head-to-head record against Bucheon. Busan was absolutely dominated by Bucheon in their last 10 matches, with one win, four draws, and five losses. They had also lost five of their last six matches against Bucheon at the Busan Asiad main stadium since June 2016. Ahead of the match, Busan head coach Park Jin-seop said, “Bucheon is a stable team. I think the direction of the first goal will be important. We have been weak against Bucheon for a few years. The direction of the first goal will be important,” he said.
Busan came out with a 3-4-3 formation. Ramas, Park Dong-jin, and Sung Ho-young led the attack. Kim Jung-hwan, Lim Min-hyuk, and Choi Jun were positioned at the back. Eo Jeong-won and Lee Hando were in the back three. Goo Sang-min was in goal.
Bucheon utilized a 3-5-2 tactic. Ahn Jae-joon and Lee Yi-hyung were the two up front. Park Hyung-jin, Kim Jun-hyung, Kaz, Kim Honam, and Jung Hee-woong coordinated the midfield. The defense was made up of Signe Kwan, Nilsson Junior, and Lee Dong-hee. Lee Bum-soo wore the goalkeeper’s gloves.
The game started. Both teams played sticky soccer. Neither team allowed the other to attack easily. It was a tense battle. However, just after the 20th minute of the first half, Busan utilized their flanks to increase their offensive share. However, Busan’s shots went wide of the opponent’s goal. Bucheon overcame the crisis and scored the first goal. In the 28th minute, Kim Honam shook Busan with a powerful mid-range shot. Busan tried to score with consecutive shots from Park Dong-jin and Lamas. Bucheon’s defense was solid. Bucheon ended the first half with a 1-0 lead. 짱구카지노
In the second half, Busan took the reins of the offense. They had their best chance in the ninth minute of the second half. On a counterattack, Ramas had the lone chance, but his shot went wide of the goal. However, in the process, a foul by Bucheon Kazu resulted in a penalty kick. However, the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled that it was a ‘no-foul’ and the penalty was canceled. Busan made a change by removing Summer and Sung Ho-young and introducing Kang Sang-yoon and Peshin.