Defending professional soccer K League One champions Ulsan Hyundai and promoted Daejeon Hana Citizens, who returned to the top flight after an eight-year absence, shared a point in their second meeting of the season.

The teams traded three goals apiece to draw 3-3 at home against Daejeon in the 15th round of the K League One 2023 at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Monday. Ulsan was led by In-Joo Gyu (two goals) and Daejeon by Masa (two goals) and Leandro (one goal and two assists).

After opening the season with six straight wins, Ulsan suffered its first loss of the season (1-2) to Daejeon in the seventh round in mid-April. Ulsan led the way with 12 wins, two draws and one loss (38 points). They are 11 points behind FC Seoul (8W3D4L), who jumped into second place with a 1-0 win over Gangwon FC earlier in the day.

With a win, Ulsan would have reached the 40-point mark in the fastest 15 games in K League history. The previous record was set by Suwon Samsung, who accumulated 40 points in 16 games in 2008. Daejeon, which snapped a two-game losing streak, remained in fifth place with six wins, four draws and five losses (22 points).

Ulsan took the lead in the first 20 minutes when Daejeon’s Kim Min-duk scored an own goal from a corner kick. However, they quickly fell behind when Leandro equalized in the 24th minute with center back Kim Young-kwon out with an injury, and eight minutes later, Masa scored a right-footed reverse goal after receiving a penetrating pass from Leandro. Ulsan conceded another goal in the 42nd minute, this time to Massa off a cutback from Leandro. Leandro scored his second goal of the season and Masa his third and fourth.

Ulsan, who pushed forward with Rubikson, Lee Chung-yong, and Martin Adam, hit the ground running in the second half when Adam’s late goal was called back for offside in the 25th minute. The disappointment was short-lived. In the 32nd minute, Ju In-gyu headed home a Rubik’s Cube cross to make it a one-goal game, and 11 minutes later, following a forward pass from Cho Hyun-taek, Ju In-gyu rattled the Daejeon net with his left foot after receiving a sideways pass from Adam. With his seventh and eighth goals, Ju In-gyu joined Na Sang-ho (Seoul) as the tournament’s top scorers 메이저사이트.

Seoul defended Willian’s first goal in the 27th minute at Anbang to win the match for the first time in three games after a 1-1 draw. Seoul avenged a 2-3 loss to Gangwon in the ninth round at the end of April, when they were unfairly denied a goal by the referee. Gangwon, winless (1-4) in five matches, slipped to 2-5-8 (11 points) and out of the relegation zone (11th). Three points separate them from last-place Suwon (2W2D11L).

Meanwhile, Gwangju FC defeated Suwon FC 2-0 on the road thanks to back-to-back goals from Timo and Asani in the final minute. Gwangju (18 points, 5 wins, 3 draws, 7 losses) swapped places with Suwon (15 points, 4 wins, 3 draws, 8 losses), who have lost four straight games.