Hyundai Steel wins 11th straight WK League title with 7-5 upset…
Incheon Hyundai Steel, led by a hat-trick from Son Hwa-yeon, pulled off a dramatic upset of Suwon FC, who were held off by Ji So-yeon, to win their 11th consecutive WK League title.
Hyundai won 6-2 at home in the second leg of the Hyundai Steel 2023 WK League Championship Final at the Incheon Namdong Stadium on Friday, thanks to Son Hwa-yeon, who scored three goals in the first half alone.
Hyundai Steel, which lost the first leg 1-3 at Suwon Sports Complex on Sept. 19, was crowned champion with a dramatic 7-5 victory on the aggregate of the first and second legs.
Hyundai Steel, which hasn’t lost a regular season or championship since 2013, won its 11th consecutive title this season, reaffirming its status as the “absolute number one.
In the regular season, where the competition for the title was fiercer than ever, the team was in third place until the very end, but won the title in dramatic fashion with a victory in the final game to advance directly to the championship, and completed another ‘come-from-behind victory’ in the championship with a six-goal storm in the second game.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the championship went to Son Hwa-yeon.
Suwon FC attempted to win the championship for the first time in 13 years since the 2010 season, when it was known as Suwon Facilities Corporation, but failed to do so.
They also had to settle for runners-up in the 2019 season after losing to Hyundai Steel in the championship match.
South Korean women’s soccer star Ji “Jimeshi” So-yeon narrowly missed out on her first WK League title.
After making her senior debut for Japanese side Ainak Kobe in 2011, Ji-so-yeon played exclusively in overseas leagues, including a stint with Chelsea Women in England from 2014, before making her WK League debut in a Suwon FC jersey last May.
After finishing third in the regular season, Suwon FC defeated second-place Hwacheon KSPO 2-1 in the playoffs to reach the championship.
The team won the first leg of the championship, thanks to a multi-goal performance from Ji So-yeon, but that was as far as they got.
With a lot of ground to make up, Hyundai took the lead on a set piece just seven minutes after kickoff.
Jang Chang’s corner kick from the right side was headed into the goal for the first goal.
Son Hwa-yeon’s “hat trick show” followed.
In the 23rd minute, a cutback from Engesha deep in the right side of the goal area was finished by Son Hwa-yeon with a non-stop shot to make it 2-0.
In the 38th minute, Kang Chae-rim’s shot was saved by Suwon FC goalkeeper Jeon Ha-neul and Son Hwa-yeon, who was lurking in the box, headed it in for a second goal.
Son completed her hat trick just two minutes later with a diving header off a cross from the right by Nam Gung Yeji.
After finishing the first half with a 5-3 aggregate score, Hyundai Steel conceded a late goal to Suwon FC‘s Nahi, who came on as a substitute at the start of the second half.
Ji So-yeon’s long penetrating pass from the right side was finished by Nahi. Her first shot was blocked by Hyundai Steel goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi, but she shot again and scored.
However, in the 23rd minute of the second half, Hyundai Steel’s Ines made it 5-1 with a calm right-footed shot in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper after beating two Suwon FC defenders.
Suwon FC didn’t give up until the end.
In the 41st minute of the second half, regular season top scorer Moon Mi-ra broke through to the right side of the goal area after a teammate’s mid-range shot deflected off a defender and finished with a right-footed shot to make it 2-5.
Suwon FC needed just one goal to send the match into extra time, but the next goal came from Hyundai Steel.
In the 45th minute, Ines converted a penetrating pass from Choi Yoo-jung near the halfway line with a right-footed shot from the right side of the goal area to make it 6-2 in the second leg and 7-5 on aggregate.
There was a twist in extra time when Ines was sent off for a second yellow card for delay of game, but it did not affect the outcome. 파워볼사이트