Just 10 minutes was enough to reach the largest crowd ever.
The battle between Seoul E-Land, which aims to advance to the first division league for the first time, and Jeonbuk Hyundai, which seeks to avoid relegation for the first time, is already raging. Tickets for the first round of the Hana Bank K-League Playoff, which will take place at Mokdong Stadium at 4 p.m. on Dec. 1, have been sold out. Tickets for N and W seats and E were sold out in just 10 minutes after the opening, while those for E-League seats were sold out in just four minutes. Right after the opening, 1,500 people waited for the reservation site. E-Land opened its doors with 1,893 additional E- and S seats excluding on-site reservations, but they were sold out again in less than an hour. E-Land, which succeeded in surpassing 10,000 spectators only by making advance reservations, has reserved the largest number of spectators in the club’s history. The previous record was 9,527 people in the match against Samsung in Suwon in August.
The reason for such hot interest is the importance of the first round. In the past, the K-League 1 team won six times and the K-League 2 team won six times. It was tight. There is an important record. It is the result of the first game. There were only two cases where they lost the first game and succeeded in turning the tables. Gangwon FC in 2021 and Suwon FC in 2023 were “unfair.” In the end, the key is not to lose the first game. It is to get a whopping 83% chance.
This is the first time for both teams to have an elevation PO. E-Land’s head coach Kim Do-kyun has experienced an elevation PO at Suwon FC in 2023, but E-Land’s entry into the elevation PO itself is the first time since the club was founded. This is the first time that Jeonbuk, which has always played only in the championship, has also fallen to the elevation PO. It is important how to take off the unknown stage. Jeonbuk is far ahead of E-Land in objective power, but if E-Land catches the first game, the burden on Jeonbuk will inevitably increase. On the other hand, if Jeonbuk takes the lead as expected, the corner that E-Land will aim for in all aspects, including the atmosphere, will disappear.
E-Land’s PO afterglow against the Jeonnam Dragons remains the same. After falling behind 0-2 and a dramatic 2-2 draw, the atmosphere rose further as the PO for promotion came up. Bruno Silva, who was left with the injury, improved his physical condition further, and Montagno, who was absent due to accumulated warnings in the match against Jeonnam, will also return. As he had a week after the match against Jeonnam, he prepared enough physically and tactically. “I think it’s a 49-51 fight,” coach Kim Do-kyun said, “It’s important how you play the first game. You’ll bump into it without being pushed.” 먹튀검증
Jeonbuk has prepared for this match in parallel with the Asian Champions League 2. It focused on the promotion PO by implementing a two-won strategy. It is the first time for a promotion PO, but we are counting on the winning DNA that was shown in every big game. Except for Hernandez, Jeonbuk can go all out without any significant injuries. Jeonbuk is far ahead in terms of power. In the end, the key is how to overcome the burden of “winning the match.”