Gwangju beat league leaders Ulsan in first game after K League split

Gwangju FC beat K League leaders Ulsan Hyundai 1-0 on Saturday, narrowing the gap with the second-place Pohang Steelers as the K League splits in two for the final part of the season.

Gwangju FC manager Lee Jung-hyo, second from right, celebrates with his team. [K LEAGUE]

Gwangju FC beat K League leaders Ulsan Hyundai 1-0 on Saturday, narrowing the gap with the second-place Pohang Steelers as the K League splits in two for the final part of the season.

With the initial 33 matches of the season completed before the October international break, the 12 K League teams have now split in two for the final stage of play. The top six teams will compete for the championship title, while the bottom six will fight to avoid relegation. No matter what happens over that period, the six teams are locked in to the two groups until the end of the season.

Up in the top half of the table, Gwangju took on league leaders Ulsan at home and both sides displayed a strong performance, creating threatening moments and recording multiple shots on target.

The two teams failed to score in the first half despite all the attempts and also struggled to get on the scoresheet in the second half.

It was Gwangju that broke through with Lee Geon-hui scoring a goal in the 87th minute. With the 1-0 victory, Gwangju have secured their second consecutive win against the league leaders this year, having beaten them 2-0 last month.

Gwangju remain in third place with 57 points and Ulsan hold on to the top spot with 67.

The second-place Pohang Steelers faced Incheon in Pohang, North Gyeongsang on Friday and only managed one point after a 1-1 draw.

Currently sitting only eight points behind Ulsan with four league matches left to go, the Steelers still have a chance of snatching the top spot and claiming the league title.

The two sides are also scheduled to clash on Nov. 12.

Elsewhere, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors played Daegu FC in Daegu on Saturday and managed a 2-1 victory thanks to a winner from Gustavo Sousa in the 90th minute.

Fourth-place Jeonbuk are already out of the league title contention, but they do have a chance of securing some silverware as they are alive in the Korean FA Cup semifinals scheduled in November.

The three matches at the bottom of the table took place on Sunday.

Jeju United faced last-place Suwon Samsung Bluewings in Jeju and managed a 2-0 win. It was yet another loss for the Bluewings, who have struggled throughout the season.

They have only secured six wins so far and have shown a lack of goal decisiveness, having scored 29 goals in 34 fixtures — making them the second least prolific team behind Gangwon FC with 26 goals.

The Bluewings, led by interim player-coach Yeom Ki-hun, have not escaped out of the relegation zone despite sacking two managers this season — first firing Lee Byung-keun in April and Kim Byung-soo last month.

Over in the capital, FC Seoul beat Gangwon 2-1 and secured their first win since Sept. 23. The capital side had a solid run in the early days of the season and once held second place, but slipped all the way down to seventh with 50 points — Daegu only have 49 points, but edged out Seoul before the international break to get into the top group.

FC Seoul's Ji Dong-won celebrates scoring a goal during a K League match against Gangwon FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Sunday. [YONHAP]

The loss for Gangwon meant that the club will likely have to play the promotion-relegation playoff at the end of the regular season.

The same goes for Suwon FC, siting in 10th place, as they drew 1-1 with Daejeon Hana Citizen.

The last-place team is relegated automatically while the 10th and 11th spots play two K League 2 clubs to determine whether they'll remain in the first division or be booted to the second.

The K League will continue on the weekends, with the Steelers traveling west to face Jeonbuk on Saturday.

Gwangju will then play Incheon in Gwangju, the same time Gangwon take on Jeju at Gangneung Sports Complex in Gangneung, Gangwon.

League leaders Ulsan will be in action the following day as they take on Daegu at home. The Bluewings will face Daejeon in Suwon, Gyeonggi.

The clash between Suwon FC and FC Seoul at Suwon Sports Complex will be the last fixture of the week.

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