'Paulinho's Theatrical Winner' Lee Jeong-hyo's Suwon escapes two-game winless streak, defeating Cheonan 3-2... 'Finally' Iluychenko scores first goal of the season [Suwon On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

Suwon Samsung fought a fierce battle against Cheonan City FC at home and secured three points with a last-minute winning goal. Having nearly squandered a lead, Suwon reignited its chase for the top spot.

Suwon defeated Cheonan City FC 3-2 in a home match of the Hana Bank K League 2 2026 Round 13 held at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 4:30 p.m. on the 25th.

Suwon, whose momentum had dipped following a recent Suwon derby loss and a draw against Daegu, secured three points at home today, moving to 8 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses with 26 points. This puts them just two points behind the league-leading Busan IPark (12 matches, 28 points).

In contrast, Cheonan, whose momentum had waned with two consecutive draws (one draw, one loss) in recent matches, remained in 11th place with 3 wins, 6 draws, and 3 losses, failing to gain any points.

The home team Suwon deployed a 4-4-2 formation. Hayes and Iluychenko led the front line, while Kim Do-yeon, Go Seung-beom, Jung Ho-yeon, and Kang Hyun-mook were positioned in midfield. The back four consisted of Park Dae-won, Song Ju-hoon, Go Jong-hyun, and Lee Geon-hee, with Kim Jun-hong guarding the goal.

The visiting team Cheonan countered with a 3-4-3 formation. Tungalara, Lee Ji-hoon, and Lee Sang-jun formed the front three, with Lee Dong-hyop, Heo Dong-min, Ramas, and Park Chang-woo anchoring the midfield. Kwon Yong-seung, Choi Gyu-baek, and Kim Sung-joo made up the three-man defense, while Park Dae-han wore the goalkeeper gloves.

Suwon appeared to seize a decisive chance early in the match. In the 17th minute of the first half, Kang Hyun-mook, who received a one-two pass from Iluychenko and surged toward the goal, was tripped by Cheonan's Heo Dong-min inside the penalty box. The referee initially awarded a penalty kick, but the on-field review overturned the decision, canceling the penalty.

The disappointment was brief as Suwon's opening goal finally came. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Song Ju-hoon, who joined the attack during a corner kick, attempted a high-point header shot. The ball struck the crossbar and dropped into the goal. Although the referee allowed play to continue, a video assistant referee (VAR) check about one minute later confirmed the ball had crossed the goal line, and the goal was awarded to Suwon.

After conceding, Cheonan dropped their defensive line and sought counterattacks, while Suwon maintained possession with short passes to control the game. In the 33rd minute of the first half, Cheonan attempted to equalize through Ramas, who fired a sharp left-footed mid-range shot during a counterattack, but the ball missed the right side of the goal.

Suwon's set pieces remained consistently dangerous. In a chaotic situation following a corner kick late in the first half, Song Ju-hoon unleashed a surprise left-footed turning shot, but Cheonan goalkeeper Park Dae-han barely deflected it with his right hand, preventing further goals.

Cheonan managed to balance the match and launch a counterattack in the second half. In the 12th minute, Suwon's defense momentarily failed to clear a high ball from their defensive line. Lee Sang-jun seized the opportunity and struck a low shot with his right foot. The ball hit Suwon goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong and was drawn directly into the goal.

After taking a blow, Suwon made a tactical substitution in the 20th minute of the second half, bringing on Paulinho, Kim Min-woo, and Lee Jun-jae simultaneously for Park Dae-won, Kim Do-yeon, and Hayes. Just one minute after the change, in the 21st minute, Suwon dismantled Cheonan's defensive wall with fluid one-two passes. Iluychenko found a perfect right-footed shooting opportunity inside the penalty box without defensive pressure, but the ball veered to the left. In the 24th minute, Cheonan substituted Lee Jun-ho for Lee Ji-hoon to make changes up front.

As Suwon's attack continued, another decisive chance was missed in the 27th minute of the second half. Iluychenko found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper in front of the goal without defensive marking, but his right-footed shot once again missed to the left, leaving him frustrated.

In the following chance, Iluychenko finally scored the winning goal, emerging as the hero. In the 28th minute, Lee Geon-hee, who had broken down the flank, delivered a right-footed cross. Iluychenko connected with a high-point header shot in front of the goal, curling the ball into the far right corner of Cheonan's net. He fully redeemed his earlier miss by scoring his first goal of the season.

Having regained the lead, Suwon substituted Lee Sang-min for Kang Hyun-mook in the 35th minute of the second half to secure the result. Lee Sang-min made his return from injury after approximately one year and two months through this substitution.

The outcome remained uncertain until the end. In the 41st minute of the second half, Cheonan's Lee Jun-ho surged toward the goal and scored with a right-footed shot, shaking Suwon's net. Although an offside call was made against Park Chang-woo, who had delivered the header pass, the goal was ultimately awarded after a VAR review.

Six minutes of stoppage time were added in the second half.

Just before the final whistle, Paulinho shook Cheonan's net from a corner kick. The goalkeeper had caught the ball but lost possession while entangled with defenders, and Paulinho pushed it into the goal.

The referee conducted an on-field review. After approximately two minutes of verification, the referee stated, "The goalkeeper fell after catching the ball and was tripped by a teammate," and the goal was awarded. The match ended in a dramatic victory for Suwon.

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*This content was translated by AI.