Suwon Samsung, which was demoted to the K League 2 this season, has saved face by winning the “support derby” for the first time in 21 years, and taking the lead in the league. His determination not to lose in physical struggle and his high goal-scoring ability have further boosted his hope for promotion.
Suwon beat FC Anyang 3-1 in the eighth round of the K League 2 2024 season held at Anyang Sports Complex on the 21st. Suwon, which was in second place with 15 points until the previous game, took the lead by pulling Anyang down one notch with the victory. Starting with the 1-0 victory over Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province on the 7th, Suwon has been on the rise since winning all four games in April.
The competition between the two teams was the first supporting derby that took place in the second part, drawing keen attention even before the match. Suwon and Anyang were cities that led the cheering culture of Korean professional football in the past. When LG Cheetahs (currently FC Seoul) was based in Anyang, Anyang and Suwon had fierce rivalry. Fans called the competition “supporting derby” after the name of the hill supporting derby between Anyang and Suwon.
Although the support derby disappeared as FC Seoul was established before the relocation of the affiliation, the confrontation took place again in 21 years in the league as Anyang was revived as a citizen’s club FC Anyang and Suwon came down to the second division. Until the previous season, Suwon only stood in K League 1 and Anyang only stood in K League 2, and the support derby was only seen in the Korea Cup and K League promotion playoffs.
In addition to this season’s Derby, the two teams have become entangled with each other as defender Baek Dong-gyu. Baek Dong-gyu, a key defender of Anyang, moved to Suwon ahead of the opening of this season. Suwon manager Yeom Ki-hoon praised Baek’s mental attitude and said, “Baek Dong-gyu is excellent,” and let him face his former team.
In the beginning of the game, Anyang led the game with only three shots on goal. However, Suwon Kim Joo-chan scored a goal in the 18th minute of the first half. Anyang failed to properly kick a long ball toward Suwon striker Kim Hyun-jin, and Kim quickly kicked a pass that Kim gave to the door to score the first goal. After scoring his first goal of this season, Kim continued to play on the ground and energized his team’s offense.
The extra goal was up to Kim, who has displayed peak goal sense in recent months. Winger Son Seok-yong defended the low cross after a physical fight with Anyang player on the side, and Kim, who was rushing to the goal, scored as it was. In the recent three games in which Suwon has won consecutive games, Kim scored three goals and one assist. With four goals on the day, Kim has tied for second in scoring along with 업소알바 Kang Min-gyu (Chungnam Asan) and Matheus (Anyang).
Anyang had 10 shots in the first half, which was higher than Suwon (six). The possession rate was also higher than that of Suwon, but the team failed to score a goal in a situation where it was leading, and rather conceded a goal to the opponent team, thus failing to vitalize the flow.
Suwon added midfielder Yoo Je-ho in place of Son Seok-yong in the middle of the second half to thicken the midfield. As Kim Hyun was carried out on a stretcher, Mulic was put in, and he scored a goal and served as a troubleshooter. In the 44th minute of the second half, Lee Sang-min’s pass was wrapped with his right foot to shake the net, making it 3-0 and tilting the balance of the match completely.
Anyang saved face by scoring a comeback goal in extra time in the second half. Goalkeeper Yang Hyung-mo failed to hit Matheus’ free kick properly, and Kim Un pushed it in to make it 3-1.