With four consecutive wins, Gangwon FC has secured 50 points. At the 27th round home game of “Hana Bank K League 1 2024” held at Gangneung Stadium on Monday, the team came from behind to beat Gwangju FC 3-2 to maintain the lead with 15 wins, five draws and seven losses and 50 points. Coincidentally, the team’s loss of second-ranked Kimcheon Sangmu (13 wins, seven draws and seven losses, 46 points), third-ranked Ulsan HD (13 wins, six draws and eight losses, 45 points), and fourth-ranked Pohang Steelers (12-8 draws and seven losses, 44 points) all lost, widening the gap.
The match against Gwangju was dramatic. The team was dragged to 0-2 until the end of the first half. However, Kovacevic scored a comeback goal in the extra time of the first half and scored an equalizer right after the start of the second half, followed by another foreign striker Henry who scored the come-from-behind winning goal. It was a perfect gift for the crowd of 13,170 people, which was the largest at a home game in Gangwon Province this season.
As a result, Gangwon is also close to scoring the most points in the K-League 1 by breaking the record (14 wins) in a single season in 2012, 2019, and 2022. It is the second time since 2019 (14 wins, 8 draws and 16 losses, 50 points) that Gangwon has garnered 50 points in the first division since joining the K-League in 2009. It is a new history if it secures more than one draw in the remaining 11 matches.
His performance is particularly impressive. Among the 12 teams in the K League 1, Gangwon scored the most 51 goals in four matches, while failing to score a goal. On the other hand, eight matches have had three or more goals, and three of them have had four goals. During the past four consecutive wins, Jeju United (4-0) and Jeonbuk Hyundai (4-2) have fallen prey to Gangwon. The previous record was 59 points in 2017.
We cannot be satisfied here. Gangwon is always on the lookout for high places. It does not even consider the sixth place in the K-League, the highest ranking in the club’s history. If the current trend continues, it is possible to win the championship for the first time since its foundation. “It is too early (to mention the championship title). We still have a lot of games left,” Gangwon coach Yoon Jeong-hwan said, but he did not draw the line saying it is impossible. When he was mentioned as a likely candidate for demotion ahead of the opening of the season, he quietly sharpened his sword, asking people to watch him.
Gangwon’s relentless run reminds of Leicester City, which dominated the English Premier League in the 2015-2016 season. Leicester City, which came from the 2013-2014 season championship, finished the first season of promotion in 14th place (11 wins, 8 draws and 19 losses with 41 points), but ranked at the top with 23 wins, 12 draws and 3 losses and 81 points in the 2015-2016 season. 먹튀검증
It was a miracle that no one could have expected. The “Leicester City Fairy Tale,” which was born at a time when traditional powerhouses such as Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United, with their enormous financial power and influence, were competing for supremacy by all teams around the world, gave hope and dreams to all teams around the world, and in this season’s K League 1, Gangwon has a chance to be disappointed if it misses out.
It is important to have a showdown with the top four teams. Starting with FC Seoul (42nd and 6th place), Gangwon will meet with Suwon FC (44th and 5th place), Ulsan FC and Pohang FC on Monday. Only the match against Suwon FC will be held at home, and the remaining three matches will be away. As everyone can challenge for the championship, fierce competition is expected. Of course, if Gangwon holds out the four consecutive games well, it will surely prove its eligibility to win.