The fourth-ranked Jeonbuk Hyundai and the second-ranked Pohang Steelers drew 1-1 on penalties, giving leader Ulsan Hyundai a chance to clinch the title early.

Jeonbuk (53 points) drew 1-1 at home against Pohang (60 points) in the 35th round of the Hana OneQ K League 2023 Final A at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Monday.

As a result, leader Ulsan (67 points) can extend its lead over Pohang to 10 points if it defeats sixth-ranked Daegu FC at Munsu Stadium in Ulsan on Sept. 29 and will be crowned K League 1 champions regardless of the outcome of the remaining matches.

Jeonbuk, who have suffered three defeats to Pohang this season, came out strong from the start.

Jeonbuk was disappointed in the 10th minute when Song Min-kyu’s shot from the left side of the penalty area was blocked by the defense, and Gustavo’s second shot on the loose ball was deflected by another defender.

Jeonbuk wasted another chance on the ensuing corner kick, as Kim Jin-soo’s left-footed shot from near the penalty spot went just wide of Pohang‘s left post.

Jeonbuk’s most threatening situation came in the 15th minute.

Song Min-kyu sent in a cross from the left side of the penalty area, and Meng Sung-woong, who was rushing in from the other side, changed direction with a right-footed shot that hit the crossbar and bounced out.

Pohang, who had struggled to contain Jeonbuk’s offense, was forced to make an unexpectedly quick substitution when right fullback Kim Yong-hwan injured his ankle.

In the 26th minute, Pohang replaced forward Kim In-sung with defender Shin Kwang-hoon.

Jeonbuk made a mistake by writing down Kim In-sung’s number instead of Kim Yong-hwan’s, which led to a botched substitution.

As a result, Pohang was forced to substitute Kim Seung-dae for Kim Yong-hwan in the 32nd minute.

However, Kim In-sung played for six minutes while Kim Yong-hwan was still on the sidelines with an injury.

The referees made a mistake by not checking the substitution until the end. Pohang also faced the possibility of a forfeit if they deemed Kim an “illegal player.

After a scoreless first half, Jeonbuk got their first taste of goal in the eighth minute of the second half when Meng Sung-woong drew a penalty kick from the right side of the penalty area, and Gustavo, who took the kick, scored with a strong right-footed shot.

Pohang tied the score at 1-1 in the 24th minute when Zeca converted a penalty kick from Lee Ho-jae.

Jeonbuk, who made a last-ditch effort, was heartbroken when Park Jin-seop’s goal in the 32nd minute was disallowed through video assistant referee (VAR).

At Gwangju Stadium, fifth-ranked Incheon United (52 points), who fielded a best 11 that included a number of ‘youngsters’ under the age of 22, caused an upset with a 2-0 win over third-ranked Gwangju FC (57 points).

Incheon cut the gap on fourth-place Jeonbuk to one point with three games to go, while also closing the gap on third-place Gwangju to five points, setting the stage for a late-season upset.

Gwangju, meanwhile, saw its winning streak halted at three games, putting the brakes on its pursuit of second-place Pohang.

Incheon rested a number of key players in preparation for their FA Cup semifinal against Jeonbuk on November 1, and used a number of younger players.

Byun’s choice proved to be a powerful motivator for the youngsters.

After a goalless first half, Incheon broke through in the 30th minute with a left-footed mid-range shot from “19-year-old” midfielder Choi Woo-jin.

It was Choi Woo-jin’s first goal in just two K League 1 appearances.

Incheon completed the 2-0 victory in the 38th minute when 21-year-old striker Kim Min-seok added a second goal.

The Final B Round 35 match between 11th-ranked Gangwon FC (35 points) and 9th-ranked Jeju United (39 points) ended 1-1 at Gangneung Sports Complex.

With one point to share, Gangwon (27 points) failed to make up much ground on last-place Suwon Samsung (25 points), who have played one game less, leaving the possibility of falling to the bottom of the table depending on the outcome of the Suwon-Daejeon Hana Citizen match on Monday.

Gangwon dreamed of victory after Gabriel’s goal in the fifth minute of the second half, but conceded a “theater equalizer” to Jeju’s Jeong-woon in second-half stoppage time. 토토사이트