'Defeat of Japanese Powerhouse' Hwang Sun-hong's Daejeon Secures Historic First ACLE Victory... Crushes Kyoto 1-0 with 'Bap-shin's Winning Goal'

*This content was translated by AI.

A thrilling victory. Daejeon Hanac Citizen defeated a Japanese powerhouse at home, marking the club's first-ever triumph on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) stage with a win.

On the 15th at 7 p.m., Daejeon secured a 1-0 victory over Kyoto Sanga (Japan) in their home match of the first leg of the 2026–2027 ACLE League Stage, thanks to Bap-shin's late winning goal in the second half.

Daejeon, which previously competed on the AFC Champions League (ACL) stage 23 years ago under its former name Daejeon Citizen, collected a valuable three points in its debut ACLE match following the competition's restructuring after finishing as runners-up in K League 1 last season. This season's ACLE features 32 teams—16 from East Asia and 16 from West Asia—each playing eight matches in the league stage.

The home team Daejeon deployed a 4-4-2 formation. Jun Min-gyu and Masha formed the front two, while Jung Jae-hee, Rubiksson, Lee Sun-min, and Bap-shin composed the midfield. The defensive line consisted of Kang Yun-seong, Ha Chang-rae, Anton, and Lee Myung-jae, with Lee Chang-geun guarding the goal.

Despite pressing hard throughout the first half without breaking through, Daejeon intensified its attack in the second half. In the 4th minute of the second half, Rubiksson converted a precise cross from Kang Yun-seong on the right flank with a right-footed shot, but the goal was disallowed after video assistant referee (VAR) review ruled it a handball foul.

Daejeon seized control in the 33rd minute of the second half with a thrilling winning goal. In a chaotic scramble inside the penalty area, Bap-shin skillfully controlled the loose ball and took a right-footed shot; the ball struck the left post before rolling into the net. Holding off Kyoto's late counterattacks, Daejeon secured a clean-sheet victory.

Meanwhile, Robert Moreno, who temporarily took charge of the South Korean national team, sat in the stands with his coaching staff at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on this day. Arriving in Korea on the 13th, Coach Moreno made his first domestic match inspection since assuming command, directly observing a K League team's ACLE debut.

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*This content was translated by AI.