Lee Seung-woo of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (C) controls the ball against FC Seoul during the clubs’ K League 1 match at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, on Sept. 1, 2024, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Korea Bizwire) — Stuck in a lost season, once-mighty Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have assured themselves of a spot in the bottom half of the K League 1 for the first time in club history.
Jeonbuk played FC Seoul to a goalless draw at home, Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, some 190 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sunday.
Jeonbuk improved to 30 points on seven wins, nine draws and 13 losses, but the result ensured that they will not crack the top six and join “Final A” in the 12-team league.
After 33 matches each year, the dozen K League 1 clubs are split into Final A and Final B. Then the teams play five more matches within their groups to finish out the season.
The split system was introduced in 2012, and Jeonbuk, nine-time league champions, have never been in the lower group until now.
With four matches remaining before the split, Jeonbuk are 14 points behind sixth-place Pohang Steelers.
Jeonbuk had long been out of top-six contention, and the draw on Sunday only finalized what had seemed inevitable for weeks. A more realistic goal for Jeonbuk now is to avoid direct relegation to the second-tier K League 2 next year.
Each season, the 12th-ranked team in the K League 1 will be directly relegated to the K League 2, while the two teams above them must survive playoffs against two contestants from the K League 2 to stay with the big boys the following season.
Jeonbuk are in 11th place. Daegu FC have the identical record and point total with Jeonbuk but trail them in the first tiebreaking category, goals scored, by 34-30.
Incheon United are in 10th place with 31 points, with Daejeon Hana Citizen in ninth, also with 31 points but with a 32-31 edge over Incheon in goals.
At the top of the tables, Gangwon FC stayed in first place with 51 points after being held by Suwon FC to a 2-2 draw Sunday. Choi Kyu-baek netted a stoppage-time equalizer for the hard-fought draw for Suwon, now in third place with 48 points.
Two-time defending champions Ulsan HD FC also have 51 points but trail Gangwon in goals, 53-48. Ulsan did enjoy an offensive outburst in defeating Pohang Steelers 5-4 on Saturday — the most goals Ulsan have scored in a match this year.
(Yonhap)
