Hwang Sun-hong's mercenary skills worked' Daejeon wins 3-1 away to Incheon, 'first win in four games' [On-site review of Incheon]

*This content was translated by AI.

• "First Selection" Martha, "Joker" Diogo, Um Won-sang, back-to-back goalsFirst win of the season after the opening three games in a row of 1-1 drawsK League 1 promotion team Incheon is winless in the opening 4 games

The professional soccer K League 1 Daejeon Hana Citizen reported its first win of the season at the expense of Incheon United.

Daejeon, led by head coach Hwang Sun-hong, defeated Incheon 3-1 in the fourth round of Hana Bank's K League 1 2026 at 7:30 p.m. on the 18th at Incheon Football Stadium.

Daejeon, which broke the balance with Martha's early first goal this season, later conceded an equalizer to Mugosa, but Diogo and Um Won-sang, who were substituted in the second half, scored consecutive goals to secure three valuable points in the enemy territory.

With the victory, Daejeon broke the 1-1 draw trend for the first time in four games. Incheon, on the other hand, has been mired in a winless streak (one draw and three losses) for the opening four games.

Incheon operated a 4-4-2 type in which Mugosa and Oh Sun-seong were in front. Politicians and Gerson stood on both sides, and Seo Jae-min and Iker worked together in the midfield. Lee Joo-yong, Juan Ibiza, and Kim Gun-hee and Kim Myung-soon defended the defense line, and Kim Dong-heon defended the goal.

In Daejeon, Joo Min-gyu took the lead. Seo Jin-soo, Martha and João Victor were in the second line, followed by Lee Soon-min and Kim Bong-soo. Park Kyu-hyun and Cho Sung-kwon and Ha Chang-rae and Kim Moon-hwan built a defensive line. The goalkeeper's gloves were worn by Lee Chang-geun.

The Great War broke the balance of zero in the early hours. Martha connected Seo Jin-soo's cross from the left side with a header to shake the Incheon net. Coach Hwang Sun-hong's mercenary skills, which turned Seo Jin-soo to the side and used Martha as the first starter of the season, matched well.

Since then, both teams have injury variables. Incheon was without a politician in the 20th minute of the first half, and Lee Chung-yong was put in, and seven minutes later, Ha Chang-rae of Daejeon was put in place of Kim Min-deok due to a hamstring injury. In the 30th minute of the first half, Martha connected Seo Jin-soo's exquisite lobbing pass to the shot, but it slightly missed the goal and swallowed the disappointment. In the Incheon supporters' seats, the slogan "Wake up Incheon" rang out.

Incheon's offense, which had been frustrating until the middle of the first half, began to unravel little by little after Lee Chung-yong was deployed. In the 35th minute of the first half, Mugosa connected the right side cross with a header but was blocked by goalkeeper Lee Chang-geun's super save. However, in the ensuing corner kick situation, Mugosa connected Lee Ju-yong's corner kick with a header to open the Daejeon goal.

At the beginning of the second half, Daejeon made a change by putting Rubik'sson instead of Seo Jin-soo. Until the middle of the second half, neither team created such an opportunity. Daejeon Lee Soon-min's mid-range shot went far beyond the goal post. The Incheon counterattack was repeatedly cut off. Daejeon head coach Hwang Sun-hong made additional changes by putting in Diogo and Bobshin without Joo Min-kyu and Martha.

Incheon had a decisive opportunity to make a comeback in the 18th minute of the second half. Jerso changed the direction of Seo Jae-min's cutback, which dug into the left side, to his heel at the gate. However, the shot was deflected off the post by defender Kim Min-deok at the gate. Five minutes later, Mugosa connected Seo Jae-min's cross with a left-footed non-stop shot, but the shot went blank due to a collision with the opposing defender. Referee Kim Jong-hyuk, however, did not declare a penalty after an on-field review.

Incheon coach Yoon Jung-hwan has put in a new period without Gerson. Ferrier made his K-League debut by forming a two-top with Mugosa. Coach Hwang Sun-hong also took out Um Won-sang's card instead of João Victor and threw a game plan.

Coach Hwang's winning move worked. In the 40th minute of the second half, Um Won-sang, who dug into the back space of the defense, gave up the rear long pass non-stop, and Diogo connected with a right-footed shot from the front of the arc to shake the Incheon net. Incheon, which was in a tight spot, tried to turn around at the last minute by putting in Lee Myung-joo late, but Daejeon's goal was not opened. Rather, Daejeon Eom Won-sang sealed the match with a left-footed shot in the counterattack.

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*This content was translated by AI.