K-League 1 Gwangju FC is rocking the Asian stage. After defeating Japan’s J-League teams in a row, the Chinese Super League’s runner-up Shanghai Shenhua won the title. Beyond advancing to the Asian Games for the first time in history, the team is even close to making an early decision to advance to the round of 16. It is truly “Lee Jeong-hyo magic.”
Gwangju, led by head coach Lee Jung-hyo, defeated Shanghai 1-0 in Game 5 of the 2024-25 Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite (ACLE) League Stage at Gwangju World Cup Stadium on the 27th. Shanghai is the second-ranked team in the Chinese league this season with 24 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss (77 points) and the least number of league runs (20 points).
Although there were not many goals, it was meaningful that they overwhelmed the opponent in performance. Gwangju launched a fierce offensive from the beginning of the game and drove Shanghai. He led the game with a pass football that was woven under constant pressure. At one point, it was a one-sided trend, with ball possession exceeding 80%.
Moreover, Gwangju’s starting lineup on the day was all composed of Korean players. It was different from the opponent team that had João Teixeira (Portugal), who played in Europe, with Cifus Malle (Switzerland) and André Luiz (Brazil) at the front. Despite this, Gwangju had overwhelming advantage in performance.
The referee was not swayed by Kuwaiti nationality referee’s dubious decision. On the day, the referee concluded with a warning a sentencing foul by Mallet who stepped on Park Tae-joon’s shin with a soccer shoe stud. Heo Yul’s goal was canceled belatedly, citing the foul situation in the previous scene. However, Gwangju scored the finishing goal in the second half of the match by Asani (Albania), who was substituted for him, to make the team win.
Coach Leonid Slutzky of Russia was also puzzled by his performance in Gwangju. According to the Chinese media Sohu, Slutzky could not keep up with Gwangju throughout the game in the speed of transition between offense and defense. The opponent team had to be passive due to its fast tempo and good teamwork.
It is all the more meaningful that the team continues to display stellar performance throughout the Asian Games. Gwangju had a whopping 7-3 victory over Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos from its debut in Asia, and Kawasaki Frontale also shocked the Asian soccer community by beating the Japanese team 1-0. Furthermore, the team, which was the runner-up in the Chinese Super League, overwhelmed the Chinese team with performance as it secured a 3-1 victory over Johor in Malaysia.
Thanks to the victory, Gwangju had 12 points (4 wins and 1 loss) to maintain the second place, one point behind Japan’s Vissel Kobe (13 points). The top eight teams out of the 12 teams in East Asia will advance to the round of 16. Depending on the result of the away match against Shanghai Haigang on March 3, Gwangju can also advance to the round of 16. 온라인카지노
The ACLE sensation of “Citizen Club” Gwangju is in contrast to the sluggish performances of Ulsan HD and Pohang Steelers. Ulsan is at the bottom of the list with all five losses, and Pohang is also at the 10th place with six points (2 wins and three losses). As of last year, Gwangju’s total annual salary was less than 6 billion won, the lowest in the K League 1, and the team even failed to strengthen its players in the summer transfer market. This is why people call it “Lee Jung-hyo Magic.”