Even knowing it, they suffered again: Gimcheon's 'set-piece nightmare'... Home win first victory slipped away once more

*This content was translated by AI.

On the 11th, Gimcheon drew 1-1 in a home match against BucheonFC at the 17th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2026 held at Gimcheon Comprehensive Stadium.

For Gimcheon, this was a deeply disappointing result because the same issue occurred repeatedly. They took the lead with an amazing long-range goal by Ko Jae-hyun in the 30th minute of the first half, but just two minutes later, they conceded an equalizer from a corner kick situation.

The goal conceded scene was also painful. After Bucheon's corner kick, Gimcheon failed to clear the ball properly during a chaotic scramble in front of the goal. Bucheon defender Baek Dong-gyu, positioned right in front of the goal, did not miss this opportunity and scored with a header, shaking the net. The lead that Gimcheon had worked hard to secure vanished in an instant.

The problem is that this is not the first time this has happened. Gimcheon revealed weaknesses in set-piece defense from the first half of the season. Head coach Ju Seung-jin was well aware of this issue. Coach Ju emphasized that during the World Cup break, he focused on improving set-piece defense through a training camp in Boryeong ahead of the home match against JejuSK on the 5th.

However, the same problem occurred again in the match against Jeju. At the time, Gimcheon broke the tight 0-0 deadlock with a long-range shot by Park Cheol-woo in the 25th minute of the second half. But in the 28th minute, they conceded an equalizer from a Jeju corner kick to Tobias. Tobias jumped high without much resistance and scored with a header shot that pierced the goal.

As a result, Gimcheon could only manage a 1-1 draw against Jeju as well. Coach Ju Seung-jin sighed after the match at the repeated goals conceded scenes. He expressed his disappointment, saying, "We conceded again from set pieces. We need to review this." However, the flow of this Bucheon match was not much different. They took the lead but lost the victory again with just one set-piece opportunity.

Of course, Gimcheon also has limitations due to its team characteristics. Since they form their squad exclusively with domestic players, the defensive burden inevitably increases when 2-3 foreign opponents with advantages in height and jumping ability simultaneously rush toward the goal. However, for Gimcheon to climb higher, it must definitely resolve the set-piece defense issue.

Currently, Gimcheon sits at 11th place in the league with 2 wins, 10 draws, 5 losses, and 16 points. In a situation where 3 points are desperately needed, repeated goals conceded in the same manner are even more painful.

Another disappointment is missing the first home win of this season that was within reach. Gimcheon has recorded 6 draws and 3 losses in 9 home matches this season. All players, including Coach Ju Seung-jin, have a strong will to secure their first win quickly in front of the fans. However, just like in the Jeju match, set-piece defense wavered again in the Bucheon match, forcing them to swallow their disappointment.

To achieve their first home win, Gimcheon must first break through this recurring set-piece nightmare.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.