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 with Pohang (60 points) in the 35th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 Final A at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Monday.

As a result, leader Ulsan (67 points) can increase its goal difference with Pohang to 10 if it defeats sixth-ranked Daegu FC at Munsu Stadium in Ulsan on Sept. 29 and will be crowned the K League 1 champion 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-gyu 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.

The mistake was made by writing down Kim In-sung’s number instead of Kim Yong-hwan’s number.

As a result, Pohang was forced to make a late substitution in the 32nd minute.

However, Kim In-sung played for six minutes while Kim Yong-hwan was off the field due to injury. The referees made a mistake by not checking the substitution until the end.

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