'Yoon Jung-hwan's' Incheon achieves the feat of advancing to Final A in their first season after promotion... Complete 3-1 victory over Jeju, with consecutive goals from Lee Myung-joo, Lee Dong-ryul, and Lee Chung-yong [Incheon On-Site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Professional football K League 1 side Incheon United has advanced to the Final A group (upper split) in their first season after promotion. In a match where they had to win to reach Final A, "golden goals" from Lee Myung-joo, Lee Dong-ryul, and Lee Chung-yong followed one another.

Incheon, managed by Yoon Jung-hwan, crushed Jeju 3-1 in the final regular season match of Round 33 of the Hana Bank K League 1 2026, held at the Incheon Football Stadium at 2 p.m. on the 24th.

With this victory, Incheon recorded 46 points (12 wins, 10 draws, 11 losses), tying with Jeju (46 points), but finished the regular season in sixth place due to a higher goal difference (Incheon 43 goals, Jeju 39 goals).

In K League 1, teams ranked 1st through 6th in the regular season advance to Final A, while those ranked 7th through 12th move to the Final B group (lower split) for the final round.

On this day, Incheon had to beat Jeju to reach Final A, while Jeju could secure a spot in Final A with just a draw, resulting in what is known as a "do-or-die match."

And Incheon met the sole condition for Final A, which was a "must-win," successfully advancing to Final A in their first season after promotion. This marks Incheon's first appearance in Final A since the 2023 season, a span of three years.

On the other hand, Jeju had been aiming for its first Final A qualification in four years since the 2022 season, but bowed its head after losing all of its last three regular season matches, including the game against Incheon.

Incheon deployed Mugoša and Lee Chung-yong up front, with Leandro, Lee Myung-joo, Seo Jae-min, and Kim Seong-min forming the midfield in a 4-4-2 formation. Lee Ju-yong, Juan Ibiza, Kim Geon-hee, and Kim Myung-soon made up the defensive line, while Kim Dong-hyun guarded the goal.

Jeju placed Lee Geon-hee up front, with Negueba, Park Soo-bin, and Chinari positioned in the second line. Lee Chang-min and Kwon Gi-min coordinated in the center of the field, while Kim Ryun-seong, Tobias, Serestin, and Yoo In-soo formed the defensive line. The goalkeeper was Kim Dong-jun.

The first half was dominated by Incheon. They maintained a ball possession rate as high as 73% and launched an all-out offensive. Given that they had to win to reach Final A, they continued their efforts to break the 0-0 deadlock first.

However, they struggled to bear fruit. Kim Seong-min's powerful long-range shots after cutting in from the right flank repeatedly just missed the goal frame, while shots by Mugoša and Seo Jae-min either went wide or were saved by the goalkeeper.

In the late first half, they even missed a decisive opportunity. Seo Jae-min's penetrating pass found Lee Chung-yong, who had slipped into the space behind the defense, setting up a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, Lee Chung-yong's shot was blocked by goalkeeper Kim Dong-jun. First-half shots were 11 for Incheon and just 2 for Jeju. Yet the score remained 0-0.

Early in the second half, Incheon introduced a change on the wing as Lee Dong-ryul came on for the injured Kim Seong-min. Jeju Island, which had focused on defense in the first half, began pressing high to turn the momentum around.

The tense balance was finally broken in the 15th minute of the second half. Lee Myung-joo exchanged passes with Mugoša from the left side of the penalty box, penetrating the space behind the defense, and shook the net with a exquisite shot that went over goalkeeper Kim Dong-jun's reach.

The situation changed completely. Incheon could head to Final A if they maintained this lead, while Jeju was in a situation where a goal was desperately needed. Jeju made changes by substituting out Chinari and Kwon Gi-min for Park Chang-jun and Kim Shin-jin.

A red card variable emerged in the 19th minute of the second half. As Seo Jae-min broke through from the center, Yoo In-soo made a rough tackle from behind. The referee, witnessing this, immediately showed Yoo In-soo a red card. Incheon's lead was compounded by the numerical advantage as Jeju lost a player.

However, Jeju, down a man, restored balance with a single free kick. In the 26th minute of the second half, Negueba's right-footed free kick from the left side of the arc flew into the top corner of the Incheon goal. After equalizing, Jeju immediately substituted out forward Lee Geon-hee for defender Kim Jae-woo to strengthen their defense.

Not to be outdone, Manager Yoon Jung-hwan brought on Ferrier for Leandro to add height up front. Incheon's offensive to break the deadlock again continued. And in the 35th minute of the second half, Incheon finally reaped the reward. Following a corner kick, Lee Dong-ryul connected with a one-touch left-footed shot after the opposing defender headed the ball away. The ball deflected slightly off the foot of Ferrier, who was at the edge of the box, and went into the Jeju net. Officially, it was recorded as a goal by Lee Dong-ryul.

The atmosphere in the stadium heated up. Players like Ferrier and Mugoša drew cheers from Incheon fans. Jeju attempted to counterattack for an equalizer, but the momentum had already completely shifted to Incheon.

In stoppage time of the second half, Incheon sealed the victory with a counter-attack, as Lee Chung-yong finished Ferrier's pass in front of the goal. There were no more mistakes. After that, Incheon maintained their lead until the final whistle blew. Incheon was the last team to head to Final A this season.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original