"Gwangju wants to prove that 'impossible' is the opposite of possible," says Manager Lee Jung-gyu... "Current match performance is still at 70-80%" [Bucheon On-Site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Professional football K League 1 side Gwangju FC crushed Bucheon FC in an away match, keeping their hopes for survival alive.

Gwangju, led by Manager Lee Jung-gyu, secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Bucheon in the Hana Bank K League 1 2026 Round 33 away game held at Bucheon General Sports Complex on the 24th.

With this result, Gwangju recorded 3 wins, 12 draws, and 18 losses (21 points). Although they remain in last place (12th) in the league, they narrowed the gap with 11th-place Bucheon (7 wins, 11 draws, 15 losses; 32 points), continuing their hope for a dramatic survival.

Their recent form has also clearly changed. Gwangju has posted 2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in their last five matches, showing a distinctly different appearance compared to the early part of the season.

Before the match, Manager Lee Jung-gyu positively evaluated the team's recent attacking power, stating, "We are scoring goals." Gwangju did not miss out on attacking opportunities on this day either. Foreign striker Aidel scored a brace, and Ba Rua added one goal to lead the big win.

Aidel, an attacker from the Australian national team, donned the Gwangju jersey in June last month. Although he joined late in the season, adding his brace today brings his total to 10 goals and 2 assists in 17 matches this season, demonstrating a strong presence.

After the match, Manager Lee Jung-gyu first expressed gratitude to the fans who traveled to the away venue. The manager said, "Many fans came from far away to support us. I know well that players cannot find strength without fans. I am truly grateful."

He also did not omit his thanks for the coaching staff. He stated, "We have been unable to win continuously, and all staff members have been struggling. In particular, the analysis team stays up late with me to prepare for matches," adding, "I would like to use this opportunity to say that I am truly grateful to the analysis team."

Gwangju narrowly escaped a major crisis in the first half when Bucheon attacker Gallego missed a penalty kick.

Manager Lee said, "If we had conceded, it could have led to an unfavorable situation, but we were already prepared on how to proceed with the match." He explained, "We had prepared for how Bucheon would react both when we scored and when we conceded. Even if we had conceded, we would have managed the game as planned."

With this win, Gwangju continued the possibility of dramatic survival. However, with five matches remaining in the final round and an 11-point gap in points from 11th-place Bucheon, it is a realistically difficult challenge.

However, Manager Lee did not speak of giving up. He said, "As I have said every time, preparing Plan B is the role of the coaching staff. Players must believe in and follow Plan A." He added, "I think it is the players' duty to be in good physical condition to execute Plan A."

He continued, "We must not give up and should focus on the process," emphasizing, "Gwangju wants to prove that 'impossible' is the opposite of possible. We are preparing with great earnestness."

As they have accumulated points recently, the team's atmosphere has also clearly changed. Manager Lee said, "First of all, our match performance is very good. When we play the way we want and advance while maintaining positions, the atmosphere naturally improves."

He added, "For a long time, the lack of goals led to a slump in team morale. But recently, scoring has come back, and all players are sacrificing for the team." He explained, "The current atmosphere is really good. In fact, players are telling me many things. So I am trying not to say much to the players right now."

Praise for Aidel, who scored a brace, was also included. Manager Lee said, "Aidel is a player with many good qualities. I also know that it can change depending on how he is utilized." He expressed his expectation, saying, "If he can add goals to that, he becomes a player with truly many attributes. He can grow even bigger in the future."

However, despite the 3-0 complete victory today, he was not fully satisfied with the current match performance. Manager Lee pointed out, "There is no 100% satisfaction. Today, we prepared on how to handle it when the opponent's midfielder occupied our half-space tactically, but it did not go well in the early stages." He added, "We responded by adjusting players' positions afterward, but there are still deficiencies in that area."

Nevertheless, he evaluated, "Looking only at the players' condition, I think they have reached at least 70-80% now."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original