K League 2 Chungbuk Cheongju, whose playoff hopes are still alive, suffered a defeat at the hands of Chungnam Asan.
Chungcheongbuk-do lost 2-3 to Chungnam Asan in the 26th round of the Hana OneQ K League 2 2023 텍사스홀덤 on Thursday at the Asan Yi Sunshin Stadium in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, thanks to back-to-back theater goals in the last minute.
As a result, Chungbuk was satisfied with 12 wins, 11 draws, and 9 losses (47 points) to stay in seventh place.
A win would have given Chungbuk a chance to leapfrog fifth-place Gyeongnam (49 points) for a spot in the POs.
This season, the winner of the K League 2 will be promoted automatically, while the second-place team will play the 11th-place team from the K League 1 in a relegation PO. The third- through fifth-place teams will play a relegation PO, with the winner playing the 10th-place team from K League 1.
However, even though Chungnam has virtually lost its PO hopes at 10th place in the league, it refused to be a sacrificial lamb in the ‘Chungcheongnam Derby’.
After exchanging goals in the first half, the two teams entered the second half with the promise of a tight contest. As the rain that had stopped poured down in torrents again, the grass on the field was soaked with water, heightening the atmosphere of the fierce battle.
After a period of fruitless offense, Chungbuk pulled off a thrilling comeback in the 35th minute after conceding the opening goal. A long ball was played in from the defense, and Georgi in front of the arc sent a backheader into the box. In response, Lee Seung-jae jumped up and shook the goal with his head.
Victory seemed to be in Chungbuk’s favor. However, they were caught off guard. Just two minutes later, in the 41st minute of the second half, in the midst of Chungbuk’s midfield chaos, Park Dae-hoon slipped a pass behind him and Hafael slid it in with his right foot.
After conceding again, Chungbuk immediately tried to get back into the game a minute later with a right-footed turning shot from Georgi, but it hit the post. Bad luck in goal, an ominous sign.
Seven minutes of second-half stoppage time were awarded, and six minutes into the extra period, Chungbuk scored a dramatic winner.
After a short cross from Bae Su-yong, Moon Jeon Kim Hye-sung’s header hit the crossbar. Park Dae-hoon then capitalized on the second ball with a diving header into the goal. Chungbuk goalkeeper Park Dae-hoon came close, but the ball crossed the goal line.
With the home crowd of 7,546 cheering them on in torrential rain, Chungnam responded with their second straight home win, led by Park’s 1-goal, 2-assist performance.