"Will the team that's supposed to win, wins?" With a five-game winning streak in high spirits, Seoul secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Incheon despite the misfortune of a red card and an own goal... Now leading by a staggering 17 points over second place. [From Sangam Stadium]

*This content was translated by AI.

FC Seoul, riding a five-game winning streak with unstoppable momentum, surged to the top of the standings, holding a massive 17-point lead over second place.

Seoul secured a 1-0 victory over Incheon United in their 27th-round home match of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2026' at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the afternoon of the 5th at 7 p.m.

Seoul, on a seven-game unbeaten run (five wins and two draws) with five consecutive victories, surged to the top of the standings with 59 points (18 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses), holding a 17-point lead over second-place Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, which has 42 points. Meanwhile, Incheon, mired in a three-game winless streak (one draw and two losses), sits in ninth place with 34 points (9 wins, 7 draws, 10 losses).

The home team Seoul deployed a 4-4-2 formation. Up front, the striking duo of Cleemala and Son Jeong-beom took the field, while the midfield was composed of Babetz and Lee Seung-mo. On the wings, Anderson and Jung Seung-won were positioned on the left and right respectively. The back four consisted of Kim Jin-soo, Ross, Park Sung-hon, and Choi Jun. Goalkeeper Gu Seong-yun wore the gloves.

The visiting team Incheon also lined up in a 4-4-2 formation. Mu Go-sa and Lee Chung-yong started as the two strikers, while Jeong Chi-in, Lee Min-hyuk, Seo Jae-min, and Lee Dong-rin led the attack from the second line. The back four consisted of Lee Ju-yong, Huani Abiza, Kim Geon-hee, and Kim Myeong-soon. Goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon wore the gloves.

Incheon struck the goalpost just 25 seconds into the match, sending a chill through Seoul. Lee Dong-ri intercepted center back Park Sung-hoon's pass. He then took a deliberate shot from near the arc circle that hit the upper part of the goal frame.

However, just two minutes later, Incheon faced a setback when Kim Geon-hee was sent off. In the 3rd minute of the first half, during Seoul's counterattack, as Krimala was about to face the goalkeeper one-on-one, Kim Geon-hee tripped him from behind. Although Incheon players appealed that Krimala had not been tripped but rather "had fallen," the decision stood unchanged.

Seoul, taking advantage of its numerical superiority, maintained high ball possession and continued to launch attacks.

Seoul missed a promising early scoring chance. In the 14th minute of the first half, Lee Seung-mo intercepted goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon's goal kick and unleashed a sharp mid-range shot. The goalkeeper deflected the ball, but Jung Seung-won's immediate follow-up shot narrowly missed to the left side of the goal.

In the first half's 30th minute, Jung Seung-won took a shot from the center of the penalty line after controlling the ball with his chest, but it went wide to the right of the goal. Two minutes later, Cleemala received a precise forward pass from Lee Seung-mo and shot from in front of the goal, only for the ball to be caught by goalkeeper Kim Do-heon.

Seoul, which pressed relentlessly throughout the first half, ultimately failed to score an opening goal, and the first half ended in a 0-0 draw.

Although Seoul maintained the upper hand in the early part of the second half, it failed to find the back of the net. In the 9th minute of the second half, Andersson drove from the left side of the box toward the center and shot with his right foot, but the ball went straight at goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon.

Seoul finally scored the opening goal. It was an own goal by Incheon. In the 26th minute of the second half, Moon Seon-min delivered a cross into the box, which Lee Seung-mo received and passed to the center. The ball struck Lee Ju-yong's foot and went into the Incheon goal. Coach Yoon Jung-hwan's face grew even darker.

Incheon mounted a rare counterattack. In the 23rd minute of the second half, during a counter-attack, Zergo penetrated from the left flank into the box, evaded a defender and took a quick shot, but it narrowly missed to the right side of the goal.

Seoul failed to score additional goals despite having a numerical advantage. In the second half, Hoiz and Babets took shots in the 28th and 30th minutes respectively, but both efforts came to nothing.

No more goals were scored in the additional four minutes of stoppage time, and the match concluded with a 1-0 narrow victory for Seoul.

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*This content was translated by AI.