‘Ji So-yeon’s multi-goal performance’ sees Suwon FC defeat Hyundai Steel in WK League Champions League opener

Led by a multi-goal performance from Korean women’s soccer icon Ji So-yeon, Suwon FC Womin moved one step closer to winning their first WK League title in 13 years.

Suwon FC pulled off a thrilling 3-1 upset of regular-season leader Incheon Hyundai Steel in the first leg of the Hyundai Steel 2023 WK League Championship Final at Suwon Sports Complex in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, on Monday afternoon.

With the final WK League match of the season and the second leg of the fateful championship match scheduled to take place on May 25 at 2 p.m. at the Incheon Namdong Asia Drugby Stadium, Suwon FC has the advantage of winning the title. The final championship will be decided by the total score of the first and second games.

Hyundai Steel, which holds the “most championships in history” by winning 10 consecutive titles from 2013 to last year, has a dimmer prospect of winning an 11th title.

If Suwon FC, which finished third in the regular season, wins the title, it will be the first time in 13 years since 2010, when its predecessor, Suwon Facilities Management Corporation, beat Hyundai Steel to the top.

It would also erase the disappointment of losing to Hyundai Steel in the 2019 championship to Suwon City Corporation.

It was Hyundai Steel, the regular season champions, who took control of the game. In the 38th minute, Jang Chang received a pass in the penalty area and connected with a non-stop left-footed shot to open the scoring for Suwon FC, which was protected by goalkeeper Jeon Ha-Neul.

It was Ji So-yeon who stepped up to the plate for Suwon FC.

In the 28th minute, on an indirect free kick inside the penalty area, Kim Yoon-ji flicked the ball to Ji-so-yeon, who struck the top corner of the goal with a sharp right-footed shot.

In the 35th minute, Ji So-yeon drove the ball forward to the penalty area and hit a thunderous right-footed mid-range shot, again aiming for the top corner of the goal. The ball took such a sharp trajectory that goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi couldn’t react, and the ball was sucked into the goal.

With momentum on their side, Suwon FC drove a wedge in the 45th minute with a ‘one-two’ from Kim Yoon-ji.

After a contest between players, the ball came out to the corner of the penalty box, and Kim Yoon-ji rushed forward and rattled the net with another shot. 먹튀검증