A dark cloud casts over the relegation of the second division at Suwon FC in the professional soccer league. The team suffered a bitter upset loss in the first round of the promotion and promotion playoff. The red card that Lee Seung-woo (25), a key player of Suwon FC, received was even more disappointing. It was not only an excuse for the upset loss but also a backlash continued until the second round, when he could not play due to disciplinary action.
Suwon FC, which remained in 11th place in the K League 1 and fell to the promotion PO, lost 1-2 to Busan I’Park in the first round of PO held at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on the 6th. Although Jang Jae-woong’s first goal in the 42nd minute of the first half broke the balance, it collapsed by allowing consecutive penalty kicks (PK) in the last minute of the second half. He will have to win the second round at Suwon Stadium at 2 p.m. on the 9th to stay. On the other hand, Busan, the runner-up team in the K League 2, can be promoted even if it draws.
It was Lee Seung-woo’s variable that drove Suwon FC to the brink of the first round, which was important. Lee was deployed as a substitute at the start of the second half when he was leading 1-0, but he was sent off due to accumulation of yellow cards in the second half alone. Notably, his second scene of warning at 37 minutes in the second half, which led to his exit, became a fatal blow. Lee Seung-woo, who knocked over Lee during the defense process inside the penalty box, was sent off after receiving a second warning after VAR, and Busan was given a PK. In the end, Suwon FC was shaken sharply as it allowed an equalizer with Lee’s exit. In the end, he allowed another PK run at eight minutes of extra time in the second half, and suffered a bitter come-from-behind defeat. 슬롯머신
Lee’s exit was especially regrettable in that a single warning that he unnecessarily received in the previous scene was laid on the ground. Seven minutes before he was given the second warning, Lee was given one warning, citing “insane acts.” The result was a war of nerves after the ball went out to the sideline while competing with Choi on the side. Unlike Choi, who tried to cross the line with a smile, Lee was given a warning after holding Choi’s uniform with his hand for a long time. The yellow card he received at the time eventually led to Lee’s accumulated exit.
The bigger problem is that Lee cannot play in the second game due to disciplinary action following his exit in the first game. Lee is a key striker who has scored 10 goals and three assists in this season’s regular league, tying for second in the most points scored and attack points in his team. As foreign striker Ras has already been kicked out for drunk driving, and Suwon FC, which must score a goal and win the second game, Lee’s disciplinary action is a fatal negative factor.
Suwon FC manager Kim Do-kyun is also agonizing over unexpected variables. “We can’t help it. We need to think about a substitute.” If Lee fails to overcome the Lee Seung-woo variable, Suwon FC will have no choice but to play next. If Suwon FC is demoted to K League 2, it will be the first time in four years since 2020. On the contrary, Busan is now in the upper hand to win promotion to K League 1 for the first time in four years.