Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors players walk off the pitch after a 3-2 loss to Suwon FC during the clubs’ K League 1 match at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, some 190 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 12, 2024, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 13 (Korea Bizwire) — After blowing a two-goal lead in the second half of their latest match Sunday, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors find themselves back in the cellar of South Korean football.
With that, what once was unknown territory for the nine-time K League 1 champions is becoming increasingly familiar this season.
Jeonbuk dropped their third straight match Sunday after falling to Suwon FC 3-2 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, some 190 kilometers south of Seoul. Jeonbuk built a 2-0 lead after 34 minutes but allowed Suwon FC to score three unanswered goals after the restart, including a brace by substitute Lee Seung-woo.
Jeonbuk have only 10 points after a dozen matches this season, with two wins, four draws and six losses. They have the K League 1′s worst goal difference with -7, from 15 goals scored against 22 conceded.
Jeonbuk first dropped to last place of the 12-team competition after a 2-0 loss to Jeju United on April 3 — the first time they ranked last at any point of a season since 2008. It cost head coach Dan Petrescu his job.
Park Jae-yong of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (C) takes a shot against Suwon FC during the clubs’ K League 1 match at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, some 190 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 12, 2024, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Assistant coach Park Won-jae stepped in as caretaker manager. Jeonbuk finally notched their first win of the season on April 13 and won their next match a week later. Jeonbuk even climbed to sixth place at the end of April, before falling back to last place on May 4 on the heels of two straight losses by a combined score of 4-0.
And Jeonbuk fell to a new low with Sunday’s loss, as they were unable to stay in front and saw midfielder Nana Boateng sent off on a direct red card after a hard foul late in the first half.
Jeonbuk are still in search of a full-time head coach to replace Petrescu. On Park’s watch, they have two wins, one draw and four losses.
Jeonbuk have won more titles than any club in K League history with nine. They all came during a 13-year span starting in 2009. They are also the only team to have won five championships in a row, having done so from 2017 to 2021.
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors caretaker manager Park Won-jae applauds his players during a K League 1 match against Suwon FC at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, some 190 kilometers south of Seoul, on May 12, 2024, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
In 2022, Jeonbuk finished three points back of champions Ulsan HD FC, who had been the runners-up to Jeonbuk in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Then in 2023, as Ulsan ran away with their second straight title, Jeonbuk couldn’t overcome a sluggish start and finished in fourth place.
Things have turned for the worse in 2024. Park said after Sunday’s loss more stability at the top would help.
“I hope the team will hire a good head coach quickly,” Park said. “The players have been waiting for a long time, and they are beat up mentally after losing three in a row. This is the time for a change.”
(Yonhap)
