Gwangju FC cruise past league leaders as unbeaten run continues

League leaders Ulsan Hyundai lost 2-0 to Gwangju FC on Sunday, allowing the second-place Pohang Steelers to narrow the gap in a week that saw only Ulsan fail to shine among the top three teams.

Gwangju FC's Kim Han-gil, left, shoots during a K League match against Ulsan Hyundai at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Sunday. [YONHAP]

League leaders Ulsan Hyundai lost 2-0 to Gwangju FC on Sunday, allowing the second-place Pohang Steelers to narrow the gap in a week that saw only Ulsan fail to shine among the top three teams.

Ulsan took on third-place Gwangju at home and managed multiple shots in the beginning with more possession, but failed to score the opening goal.

Gwangju instead got on the scoresheet first, with Lee Geon-hui finding the back of the net in the 17th minute, beating goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo.

The league leaders attempted to bounce back by substituting in agile midfielder Um Won-sang for Lee Dong-gyeong.

They nevertheless failed to break through the Gwangju defense and ended up conceding another goal to Beka Mikeltadze, who smashed a shot into the top corner with a volley to make it 2-0.

Ulsan’s attack persisted in the remaining minutes, but none of their efforts proved to be effective and 2-0 was the final score.

Sunday’s win allowed Gwangju to extend their unbeaten streak to nine games and marked the first time in club history they have recorded 12 victory in a single season the top tier. Gwangju have been on a good run this season, sitting in third place despite being promoted to the K League 1 this year.

There was less excitement over in Jeju on the same day, with Jeju United and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors sharing a point after a goalless draw.

Suwon FC played a match against Daejeon Hana Citizen on Friday and secured a 1-0 win thanks to Lee Seung-woo’s goal from a corner.

Elsewhere, Daegu FC also managed a 1-0 win against last-place Gangwon FC on Friday with a goal by Cesinha. That win allowed Daegu to jump from seventh to sixth, while Gangwon stayed in their position.

Gangwon have struggled all season long, having only secured three wins and scored the fewest goals with 20 in 29 matches — seven fewer than the Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

The Bluewings were in action on Saturday and lost the Super Match derby 1-0 to FC Seoul after conceding a goal to Stanislav Iljutcenko a minute after the kickoff.

FC Seoul's Stanislav Iljutcenko, center, celebrates scoring a goal during a K League match against the Suwon Samsung Bluewings at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi in a photo shared on FC Seoul's official Facebook page on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

That victory was FC Seoul’s first win since July 12, which allowed the capital side to claim fourth on the table.

They are tied on points with fifth-place Jeonbuk but edge them out by goals scored — the second deciding factor when teams are tied on points.

Over in Incheon, the Steelers beat Incheon United 2-0 and added three points, narrowing the gap with Ulsan by eight points.

The Pohang Steelers' Kim Seung-dae dribbles the ball during a K League match against Incheon United at Incheon Football Stadium in Incheon in a photo shared on the Steelers' official Instagram account on Monday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The K League will stop for two weeks for the FIFA international break.

Some K League players will join the national team, during which they will play a friendly with Wales on Thursday and with Saudi Arabia on Sept. 12 in Britain.

The league will resume on Sept. 16 with Jeonbuk facing Gangwon in Jeonju, North Jeolla and Incheon playing against Jeju in Incheon.

The Steelers will take on Suwon FC at Pohang Steelyard on the same day, while league leaders Ulsan play Daejeon in Ulsan.

Gwangju FC will travel to the capital to play against FC Seoul and the match between the Bluewings and Daegu FC in Suwon, Gyeonggi will be the last fixture of the week.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]