The K League 1 Wrap-Up: Suwon FC's Summer Revival Continues, Gimcheon Sangmu Thrash FC Seoul, and Friday Night Football Sees Two Red Cards | OneFootball

After a noteworthy long weekend of fixtures for multiple reasons, columnist Nathan Sartain returns to discuss all of the major talking points from round 26 of the 2025 K League 1 season.

While Friday night football didn’t bring heaps of entertainment this time around, the two games that did take place had plenty of needle to them. In Jeju SK’s 0-0 draw with Gangwon FC, this manifested in the form of a physical first-half, one which peaked with a red card for youngster Kim Jun-ha. It was a fair decision, as his breaking up of a counter-attack was deserving of a second yellow following an initially rash challenge earlier in the match, but it did take quite an intriguing sting out of the proceedings. As such, a slower second period mostly resulted in Gangwon crossing the ball into the box, hitting the woodwork, and struggling to find that one breakthrough past Jeju’s low-block that would have seen the Bears come away with a potentially vital three points.

Moving on, in FC Anyang’s 1-0 home defeat to Pohang Steelers, the extra spice was rife all throughout the 90. To start with the positives, Lee Ho-jae’s early winner was an excellently crafted goal, and the type of intricate play you’d love to see more of in the K League from a buildup perspective. However, the striker’s wayward elbow in first-half stoppage time, which while not intended to cause harm gashed the face of Kim Jung-hyun, could have resulted in dismissal, offering Anyang a clearer route back into the game. That wasn’t the case, though, and instead the Violets struggled to break down a Pohang defence which has now kept three consecutive clean sheets.

Still, what will cause debate is the red card awarded to Kwon Kyung-won for an offence similar to Lee Ho-jae’s. Yes, an argument can be made that one was more reckless than the other. Yes, you could even point out that Lee Ho-jae’s elbow came from a genuine attempt to win the ball, and that the stray elbow catching the face of an opponent was an unfortunate casualty of this. Basically, though, it boils down to the referee’s interpretation of intent, something which is a subjective measure at its core, and will continue to inspire heated discussion as fans can and will derive their own definitions of the law.

Suwon FC Can't Stop Scoring

It’s hardly a secret that Suwon FC have become a changed side recently. After the departure of Anderson Oliveira, Kim Eun-jung was afforded license to effectively revitalise his entire squad with new signings, plugging gaps in plenty of key positions. What this has in turn led to, in quite an unexpected way, is Suwon becoming almost ever-present goal threats, no matter who they are up against.

In the six games since Anderson’s departure, Suwon have scored 18 times (so an average of three goals per game), picked up 15 points, and propelled themselves from sure-fire relegation candidates, to a team with a genuine chance of finding their way into the Final A positions should their upswing in form sustain. Round 26’s 4-2 victory over Ulsan HD emphasised this newfound confidence, with Kim Eun-jung’s men constantly threatening, striker Pablo Sabbag continuing his purple-patch with a brace, and the team’s overall rhythm feeling a lot more urgent than it had just a few weeks ago.

Gimcheon Sangmu Keep Their Distance From FC Seoul

With a 6-2 victory over FC Seoul, Gimcheon Sangmu have moved back into second-place, and now sit six-points clear of a spot outside of the top four. That doesn’t necessarily matter for the military side, given they are ineligible for continental qualification, yet it maintains a level of performance that started last season, and serves as a handy reminder of the job Chung Jung-yong is doing with his revolving door of loanees.

Against Seoul, Gimcheon were always effective, at first capitalising on some poor defensive moments from the capital city side, then punishing the visitors in transition. Sure, Kim Gi-dong’s side did have plenty of chances, and worked hard to get themselves back into the mix which peaked with a brief Anderson Oliveira equaliser, but you can’t concede so close to half-time when mounting a comeback, or indeed give away two second-half penalties. The fact is Gimcheon can be ruthless, and they were here, putting six past a team who weren’t exactly outclassed from a statistical standpoint.

What Else Happened in Round 26?

Edging closer to the K League 1 title, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors brushed past bottom-place Daegu FC in a comfortable 3-0 win on Saturday. This was pretty much business as usual from the Green Warriors, who coped with any opposition threat with relative ease, attacked patiently, and took the chances they needed to. For Daegu, though, the threat of being relegated to K League 2 is gaining greater imminence by the round.

Finishing the weekend, Gwangju FC emerged as 2-0 victors against Daejeon Hana Citizen thanks to a brace from Reis. Like many of the Griffins’ wins this year, this came partly thanks to a real willingness to limit the opposition to low-quality chances. It’s not exactly pretty in execution, as some of Lee Jung-hyo’s managerial highs can be, but it’s necessary should Gwangju want to get back into the top-half and compete at the top level again. For Daejeon, however, their season is developing some inconsistencies, the likes of which may need to be ironed out quickly given the Purples face two of the current top three across their next three matches.

That's all for another week! Regular Saturday and Sunday fixtures return next weekend after some midweek Korea Cup action, and will excitingly see two in-form teams clash when Pohang Steelers welcome Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to the Steelyard.