It was a nail-biter. Daegu FC recorded its first win under head coach Park Chang-hyun with a thrilling come-from-behind victory in the second ‘Moonlight Derby’ of the season.
Daegu FC defeated Gwangju FC 3-2 in the 12th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at DGB Daegu Bank Park at 7 p.m. on Nov. 11.
It was Daegu’s first win in eight matches, ending a long winless streak. Coincidentally, Gwangju was the last team Daegu beat. Daegu hadn’t won since a 2-1 come-from-behind victory in Gwangju in March.
With the three points, Daegu jumped to 10th place with 11 points. Ninth-place Gwangju, whose winless streak was snapped, remains on 12 points, trailing Daegu by one point with one more game to play.
The home team Daegu went with a 3-4-3 formation. Park Yong-hee, Sejingya, Jung Jae-sang, Hong Chul, Beltola, Park Se-jin, Jang Sung-won, Go Myung-seok, Hwang Jae-won, Kim Jin-hyuk, and Choi Young-eun were the starting lineup.
The away team Gwangju started with a 4-4-2 formation. Jung Ho-yeon-Ik-hee, Moon Min-seo-Igang-hyun, Park Tae-joon-Gabriel, Kim Jin-ho, Ahn Young-gyu, Byun Jun-soo, Doo Hyun-seok, and Kim Kyung-min were the first to go.
From the start, it was a hard-fought battle.
Gwangju opened the scoring. In the sixth minute of the first half, Jung Ho-yeon passed the ball to Lee Kun-hee, who had his back to the defense near the arc. Lee shook off the defense, spun around, and split the net with a left-footed turnaround shot.
Daegu quickly equalized. 안전놀이터 In the seventh minute of the first half, Sejingya passed the ball forward after winning the ball through forward pressure. Park Yong-hee received the ball and scored the equalizer with a calm right-footed shot. With the assist, Sejingya became the sixth player in K League history to reach the 60-goal-60-assist mark.
Gwangju regained the lead. In the 10th minute, Byun Jun-soo headed home a free kick from Doo Hyun-seok to make it 2-1. Three goals came in the first 10 minutes of the match.
Once the fire was lit, the offense of both teams didn’t cool down. In the 21st minute, Lee Eun-hee fired a powerful right-footed mid-range shot that hit the post. In the 25th minute, Byun Jun-soo’s shot was straight at the goalkeeper.
Daegu equalized again.
In the 26th minute, Sejingya made a good move to get behind the defense and sent a sharp ground ball cross in front of the goal. Jung Jae-sang slotted the ball home for another equalizer. The teams ended the first half tied at 2-2.
The fierce offense continued in the second half. Gwangju pounded the flanks with substitutes Eom Ji-sung and Jeong Ji-yong, while Daegu utilized Edgar’s height to create threatening chances, but the balance was not easily broken.
It was Daegu who scored the fifth goal of the day. In the 40th minute, Kim Young-joon was tripped in the box after a long pass from Sejingya, earning a penalty kick. Sejingya stepped up to take the spot kick and slammed it into the corner of the goal to make it 3-2. Daegu took the lead for good.
Seven minutes of second-half stoppage time were awarded. Daegu withstood Gwangju’s final attack in the remaining time to secure the one-point victory. When the final whistle blew, Sejingya fell to his knees and celebrated his first home win of the season.