Two of the division's in-form teams meet this Saturday when Incheon United take on Pohang Steelers. Incheon head into Round 4 unbeaten with two wins and a draw from their first three matches of the season while Pohang sit one point behind with two wins and one loss. Both teams' most recent wins came via a single goal-to-nil, both away from home. Incheon's came thanks to a superb Lee Myung-joo long ball into Kim Jun-yub who needed just one touch to guide the ball home. Pohang's recent win came at Jeonju Castle and against the reigning K League 1 champions, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Jeong Jae-hee grabbed the winner, his first for the club after joining from Jeonnam Dragons over the winter.
After finding the net six times already, Pohang Steelers are the league's top scorers. While Incheon, along with Ulsan, have had the meanest defence with just one goal conceded. Interestingly, both Pohang and Incheon have made the same number of shots per 90 minutes at 39 - enough to sit joint second in K League 1. In terms of accuracy, Pohang sit top with 53.8% of all attempts finding the target while Incheon are second with 46.2%. When the two meet this Saturday evening, then, it is likely to go down to which team has the most accurate finishers. Pohang failed to score in the last two meetings of last year but the record over the last 10 encounters stands in the Steelers' failure with five wins to Incheons two and three draws.
Team of the Round
Jeju United (vs. Suwon FC, Sun. 6th March)
Jeju United are now off the mark for the season, registering their first three points on March 1st via a 1-0 away win over Suwon Samsung Bluewings. New recruit Kim Ju-gong was the difference-maker, side-stepping Dave Bulthuis to create space to find the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Said goal was Jeju's only so far this term but it hasn't been for the want of trying. Nam Ki-il's men have made the most shots from outside the box in the division so far with 19 and sit joint second for shots made from open play. Nam remarked on his side's shooting in the post-match press conference in midweek, saying that his side's chance conversion was something that needed to be worked on. This Sunday, Jeju welcome Suwon FC to the island - a side that is seeking its first win and point of the new season.
Player of the Round
Go Jae-hyeon, Daegu FC (vs. Gangwon FC)
Daegu FC wingback Go Jae-hyeon now has two goals in his last two games, equalling his best goal return for a season already. After never scoring for Daegu FC or at K League 1 level, the 22-year-old scored two very important goals for the Sky Blues in the space of just a few days. After an 80th-minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Jeonbuk at the weekend, he scored the only goal of the game in Daegu's 1-0 victory over Gimcheon Sangmu. Go had been on loan at Seoul E-Land in K League 2 for the last 18 months, making 44 K League appearances for the Leopards and scoring four goals. The Korea youth international has benefited from the first-team experience at Leol Park. This Saturday, Go and Daegu take head to the East Coast to take on Gangwon FC, a side that will be looking to bounce back from the midweek loss to Incheon.
Elsewhere in K League 1 Round 4
Saturday's early kick-off sees Seongnam FC host Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Seongnam are yet to win this season and have registered just a single point while Suwon sit just a place above them in the table with three points.
On Sunday, FC Seoul are on the road again - their fourth in as many matches - this time heading to North Gyeongsang to take on Gimcheon Sangmu for what will be the first-ever match between the two sides. After which, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors take on Ulsan Hyundai looking to bounce back from Wednesday's loss to Pohang. Ulsan, on the other hand, sit top of the league with seven points from their first three games after a 2-1 win over Suwon FC on Tuesday.
K League 1 Table
K League 1 Round 4 Fixtures
Saturday 5th March
Sunday 6th March
Paul Neat
Managing Editor
