Gimcheon secure K League 1 return in dramatic league schedule close

Gimcheon Sangmu of the K League 2 earned direct promotion to the first division in a dramatic fashion on Sunday, beating Seoul E-Land 1-0 and leapfrogging Busan IPark by one point on the last day of the league schedule

Gimcheon Sangmu players celebrate winning the K League 2 after a 1-0 win against Seoul E-Land at Gimcheon Sports Complex in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang in a photo shared on the club's official Instagram account on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Gimcheon Sangmu of the K League 2 earned direct promotion to the first division in a dramatic fashion on Sunday, beating Seoul E-Land 1-0 and leapfrogging Busan IPark by one point on the last day of the league schedule.

Gimcheon were in second place with 68 points on the table before Sunday’s fixture, with Busan sitting at the top with 69.

With only one point separating Gimcheon and Busan before Sunday’s schedule, Gimcheon not only had to win their game, but Busan needed to draw or lose to allow the military club to jump from second to first and steal the title.

And that is exactly what happened. Kim Hyeon-ung’s goal in the 37th minute secured a much-needed three points for Gimcheon and allowed the team to surpass Busan, who drew 1-1 with Chungbuk Cheongju FC on the same day.

Gimcheon’s victory in the K League 2 earned the team their return to the K League 1 in just one season.

The military club faced relegation in the 2022 K League 1 season after finishing in 11th-place on the 12-team table, and they lost the promotion-relegation playoffs to Daejeon Hana Citizen.

This year is not the first time that Gimcheon have managed a return to the K League 1 in one year, as they did so in 2015 after facing relegation in the 2014 K League 1.

Gimcheon’s success in the second division this season came despite the entire squad consisting of footballers on military duty who've played together for less than two years — the mandatory service is one-and-a-half year long.

The K League 2 champions were also by far the most prolific team in the league, scoring 71 goals in 36 league matches. FC Anyang came in second with 58 goals.

Cho Young-wook was Gimcheon’s top scorer with 13 goals in 28 matches, although he was discharged early in October after winning a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Whether Gimcheon can maintain their current momentum through next season in the K League 1 remains to be seen, as several players such as Lee Joon-suk and Kim Jun-bum are set to leave the team after being discharged in December.

The Gimcheon fans can now turn their attention over to which other K League 2 teams earn promotion to the first division.

A maximum of three K League 2 teams can advance to the K League 1 every year, with only one guaranteed spot. The winner of the K League 2 is automatically promoted to the K League 1, whose 12th-place team is sent down to replace them. The second-place team in the K League 2 plays the 11th-place team in the K League 1, with the winner of that game playing the next season in the top tier.

As if that wasn't complicated enough, the fourth- and fifth-place K League 2 teams then play each other, with the winner then facing the third-place finisher. The winner of that game plays the 10th-place K League 1 team in yet another playoff, with the winner of that game also playing the next season in the top tier.

Fourth-place Gyeongnam FC and fifth-place Bucheon FC 1995 will play against each other on Wednesday, with the winner facing third-place Gimpo FC on Saturday.

The winner of Saturday’s playoff will face the 10th-place K League 1 side, which is yet to be decided.

Second-place Busan, on the other hand, will face 11th-place K League 1 side in the home-and-away format promotion-relegation playoffs. The first leg is scheduled for Dec. 6 and the second-leg for Dec. 9.

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