'19 shots, 0 goals': Hwang Sun-hong's Daejeon loses 0-1 to Japan's Kobe... First defeat in 10 official matches

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

The momentum of Daejeon Hana Citizen, which had gone nine consecutive official matches unbeaten (6 wins, 3 draws), was halted in a match against Vissel Kobe (Japan), known as the "nemesis of K League teams."

Daejeon, led by head coach Hwang Sun-hong, lost 0-1 to Kobe in the third match of the league stage of the 2026-2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE), held at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 27th.

On this day, despite dominating the game with a 54%-46% lead in ball possession and a 19-10 advantage in shots, Daejeon struggled to break the 0-0 deadlock and bowed its head after conceding a regrettable winning goal late in the match.

It has been about two months since Daejeon tasted defeat last, following their loss against Jeju SK on August 30, during which they had gone nine consecutive official matches unbeaten, including three straight wins in K League 1.

In the ACLE league stage, after defeating Kyoto Sanga (Japan) and drawing with Shanghai Port (China), Daejeon suffered its first defeat in three matches. The East Asia regional league stage of the ACLE, where 16 teams compete, consists of eight matches per team, with the top eight teams advancing to the Round of 16 tournament.

From the first half, Daejeon targeted Kobe's weaknesses and sought an early goal, but they could only swallow their disappointment as shots by Joao Victor and Jung Jae-hee missed the frame or were stopped by the goalkeeper's saves.

In the second half, Daejeon maintained its offensive pressure by bringing on Lubixon and Um Won-sang in the middle of the half, but repeatedly failed to convert opportunities in their final attacking moves.

Daejeon, which had failed to score an opening goal despite dominating the game, conceded what could only be described as a "regretful goal" in the 38th minute of the second half. Komaatsu Ren headed a cross from the right side, changing its direction to open up Daejeon's goal.

Daejeon launched an all-out attack late in the game by bringing on Ju Min-gyu, but failed to convert any opportunities into goals even with three minutes of added time, ultimately suffering a bitter scoreless defeat. It was a painful loss despite pressing the opponent throughout the match.

Kobe, which defeated Daejeon away from home, rose to first place in the ACLE league stage with three wins in three matches. In particular, after defeating both Ulsan HD and FC Seoul (3 wins) in last season's ACLE, Kobe has extended its winning streak against K League teams to six consecutive victories by successively beating Jeonbuk Hyundai and Daejeon this season as well.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original