A first win in eight for Seongnam FC sees the Magpies move up to ninth place in the table, level on points with Seoul E-Land in eighth. Glass half-full, though, and Seongnam are unbeaten in three with one win and two draws. The win away to Busan IPark at the weekend was their third on the road this season. Kang Ui-bin got Seongnam up and running with 22 minutes on the clock before a brace from Jin Seong-wook meant a three-goal cushion. Busan began to fight back with Bruno Lamas pulling one back before Hwang Jun-ho made it 3-2 but the Magpies were able to cling on to the points.
Up next is table-topping Gyeongnam FC, a side that lost last time out. Gyeongnam had been on a run of five straight wins and so will be determined to get back to winning ways this Wednesday. The first meeting between the two sides in 2023 ended in a 2-2 draw with Gleyson finding the net for Gyeongnanm late on to rescue a point. A similar result this time could mean another side moves to the top of the division given how tightly contested the automatic promotion race is. Seongnam will be looking to Jin Seong-wook for goal-scoring inspiration following his double at the weekend while Gyeongnam will be hoping that their top scorer Gleyson finds his scoring touch again. He bagged a brace of his own in the round before last.
Team of the Round
Jeonnam Dragons (vs. Ansan Greeners, Wed. 19th July - 19:00)
Jeonnam Dragons are beginning to hit form and, following a win over league leaders Gyeongnam on Saturday, are just five points off the playoff places. Ha Nam opened the scoring on four minutes before Valdivia made it 2-0 just after the half-hour mark. The win extended the Dragons' unbeaten run to four heading into the midweek fixtures. Jeonnam are in the top five, though, when it comes to goals scored with 29, helped by eight being scored in their last two matches. Valdivia's sensational curling effort was his ninth of the campaign and moves the Brazilian up to second in the league's goal-scoring charts. Up next is Ansan Greeners on Wednesday, a side that currently sits second-bottom and hasn't won since 23rd April, 11 matches ago.
Player of the Round
Bruno Paraiba, FC Anyang (vs. Cheonan City, Tue. 18th July - 19:30)
Brazilian forward Bruno Paraiba came off the bench to score on his debut on Saturday during FC Anyang's 3-2 win over Chungnam Asan. In fact, the 28-year-old scored just one minute into his debut having not long been on the field when Andrigo teed him up. The goal had brought the Violets back level after they had found themselves 2-1 down. Andrigo's clever pass around the corner found Bruno who took a touch and then guided the ball into the corner. The win ended a mini-slump of two straight losses and keeps Anyang in the hunt for automatic promotion, sitting just two points behind Gyeongnam and Gimcheon who are locked on 36 points. Up next for Bruno and Anyang is the visit of last-placed Cheonan City.
K League 2 Table
K League 2 Round 22 Fixtures
Tuesday 18th July
#BUCvCHFC: Bucheon FC 1995 (5th) vs Chungbuk Cheongju (10th) - 19:00
#SEFCvGFC: Seoul E-Land (8th) vs Gimpo FC (6th) - 19:00
#ANYvCCFC: FC Anyang (3rd) vs Cheonan City (13th) - 19:30
Wednesday 19th July
#JDFCvANS: Jeonnam Dragons (7th) vs Ansan Greeners (12th) - 19:00
#SFCvGYE: Seongnam FC (9th) vs Gyeongnam FC (1st) - 19:00
#GIMvCAFC: Gimcheon Sangmu (2nd) vs Chungnam Asan (11th) - 19:30
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