Giant-killers Gimpo beat Jeonbuk on tumultuous night in the Korea Cup

It was a night of near-upsets across the country, as nearly every team in the second division was at one point in the lead against top-tier opponents — including Gyeongnam FC's bout against Ulsan HD with the K League 2 side one man down.

Gimpo forward Bruno Paraiba celebrates after scoring the opener in the fifth minute of the Korea Cup round of 16 match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Gimpo Solteo Football Stadium in Gimpo, Gyeonggi on Wednesday. [KFA]

GIMPO, Gyeonggi — A steady stream of fans filtered into the seats of what has to be one of the most humble professional football stadiums in Korea on Wednesday night to watch second-tier Gimpo FC take on K League 1 heavyweights Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the Korea Cup round of 16.

People of all ages, including plenty of families with young children carrying snack-filled cooler bags, settled into the bleachers on either side of the pitch as the sun began to set while Jeonbuk supporters packed the away section before kickoff.

It should have been a relatively easy bout for Jeonbuk, five-time Korean FA Cup — known from this season as the Korea Cup — winners, against Gimpo, an 11-year-old club that only turned pro and reached the K League 2 two seasons ago. The club's Gimpo Solteo Football Stadium has an official capacity of just under 8,500, already the smallest in Korea, and half the shiny new seats in the eastern stand are taped up and not being used.

But Gimpo beat Jeonbuk 1-0, knocking the 2023 runners-up and 2022 champions out of contention for the Cup trophy, pulling off the biggest upset of a drawn-out night where six of eight matches ended in a penalty shootout.

Gimpo FC celebrate after beating Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1-0 in the Korea Cup round of 16 match at Gimpo Solteo Football Stadium in Gimpo, Gyeonggi on Wednesday. [KFA]

Holding on to a slim lead from a goal in the fifth minute, Gimpo fought their way through to the Korea Cup quarterfinals for the very first time and Jeonbuk took another embarrassing hit amid a so far disappointing season.

Fans had barely begun to unpack their snacks when Gimpo forward Bruno Paraiba, who joined the club in January, headed the ball into the net from inside the box thanks to a cross from right-back Lee Jong-hyun.

Jeonbuk failed to see success at the net, tripped up largely by their own messy attack. But Gimpo goalkeeper Son Jeong-hyeon was one of the stars of the night, making big saves to deny Jeonbuk an equalizer when they did manage to make a shot on target.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' Tiago Orobo, left, vies for the ball with Gimpo FC's Heo Dong-ho during a Korea Cup round of 16 match at Gimpo Solteo Football Stadium in Gimpo, Gyeonggi on Wednesday. [KFA]

A total of 3,454 people turned up for the game, blanketed by green — Jeonbuk’s kits a bit brighter than Gimpo’s, and neither as bright as the grass-colored hill the stadium is built into — as Gimpo fans enjoyed a win at home.

Gimpo’s triumph came hours after multiple cities across Korea set new records for reaching the highest-ever temperatures in June. The game paused twice to allow players to take swigs of water on the sidelines, a FIFA regulation.

It was a night of near-upsets across the country, as nearly every team in the second division was at one point in the lead against top-tier opponents.

Gyeongnam FC, second-to-last place in the K League 2, were up against K League 1 leaders Ulsan HD at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan.

But what should have been an easy win for Ulsan was almost a victory for the underdog visitors — who played nearly three-quarters of the game, which went into extra time and a penalty shootout, one man down.

Gyeongnam got off to a good start, with forward Cho Sang-jun scoring the opener in the 14th minute. They held off an Ulsan equalizer until the 41st minute when Gyeongnam's Lee Min-ki was dealt a red card for a hand ball against Ulsan forward Lee Chung-yong, leaving the visitors to barrel through the rest of the match with one less player on the pitch.

Lee made a successful penalty kick to put the score at 1-1 before the break.

But it wasn’t over for the 10-man Gyeongnam, who were the first to score in the second half. Gyeongnam midfielder Lee Min-hyuk made it 2-1 in the 62nd minute.

Ulsan responded with two more goals, one by midfielder Ataru Esaka in the 75th minute and another from Um Wong-sang in the 79th minute — both of whom came on as subs after the first-half draw.

Ulsan HD's Um Won-sang, left, celebrates after scoring during the Korea Cup round of 16 match against Gyeongnam FC at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Wednesday. [KFA]

But Gyeongnam denied Ulsan victory, Lee Jeong-eun, also a sub, getting the equalizer in the 84th minute to force 30 minutes of added time.

Both sides would score another goal each, Seol Hyeon-jin giving Gyeongnam the lead in the 102nd minute before Ulsan’s Kim Min-woo equalized in the 115th minute to narrowly avoid a loss — Ulsan beating Gyeongnam 3-0 on penalties.

It was still something to celebrate for Gyeongnam, who were relegated to the K League 2 in 2019.

“We showed you everything we prepared. I am proud to have played equally against Ulsan, the strongest team in the K League 1,” Gyeongnam manager Park Dong-hyuk said in comments after the match, shared on Instagram on Thursday. “I’m really grateful for the players who lasted 120 minutes after one was sent off. It was a game that I had no choice but to praise.”

Almost every game was decided by a penalty shootout — a stark contrast to last year’s round of 16, where zero games went into penalties and only two needed extra time.

K League 2 side Suwon Samsung Bluewings, tied with Jeonbuk for the highest number of Korea Cup wins but relegated in 2023, were also close to knocking out the Pohang Steelers — who sit in third place in the top tier.

The two sides played to a goalless draw at Pohang Steel Yard in Pohang, North Gyeongsang and both scored during added time to trigger a penalty shootout, which the Steelers won 5-4.

Among the other upsets of the night, where lower-ranked K League 1 sides knocked out higher-ranked clubs, No. 9 FC Seoul beat No. 2 Gangwon FC 5-4 on penalties, and No. 7 Incheon United beat No. 4 Gimcheon Sangmu 4-3 on penalties after goalless draws.

FC Seoul goalkeeper Baek Jong-bum saves a penalty shot in their Korea Cup round of 16 match against Gangwon FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Jeju United beat Daejeon Hana Citizen 8-7 on penalties, also after a goalless draw. Seongnam FC beat Cheongnam FC 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the only match between two K League 2 sides. Elsewhere, the K League 1’s Gwangju FC beat K League 2 side Bucheon 1995 3-2.

The quarterfinals will take place on July 17. Ulsan will play Incheon, the Steelers will face FC Seoul, Gimpo will take on Jeju and Gwangju will meet Seongnam. Gimpo and Seongnam are the only K League 2 sides remaining in the Korea Cup.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]