by Liam Birch at Daejeon World Cup Stadium
Daejeon put up a valiant effort against high flying Jeonbuk before falling to two second half goals from Lee Dong-Guk and former Citizen favourite Brasilia.
Daejeon, riding on the back of two excellent victories over Ulsan and Seongnam, started brightly. Stevan Racic, who impressed in the game at Seongnam was partnering Park Sung-Ho in attack with Valber playing just behind. Key man Ko Chang-Hyeon was missing through suspension however Daejeon didn't seem to be missing him as they took the game to Jeonbuk.
In fact, it was Daejeon who created the first real chance of the game. A cross from the right was only headed up by the Jeonbuk defender straight into the path of Stevan Racic, who from 6 yards out, should have buried his header. Instead, his header was too close to the keeper who produced a decent save to tip it around the post.
Valber was instrumental in the midfielder and had two long range efforts test the Jeonbuk keeper. The first, fired just past the post whilst the second forced the save from the grateful Jeonbuk keeper.
Daejeon almost took the lead from a free kick that Racic initially looked like firing but instead left it to Kwon Jib who curled the ball over the wall but saw his effort well saved by the Jeonbuk keeper.
Jeonbuk only really threatened briefly during a first half completely dominated by Citizen. Choi Eun Song had very little to do in the Daejeon goal. At the opposite end however, the Jeonbuk keeper was having a great game. Daejeon came close again towards the end of the half when Valber produced a beautiful touch to break through the Jeonbuk midfield before angling in a teasing cross which Racic should have anticipated better.
There was still time for Daejeon to produce one more save from the Jeonbuk keeper as just before half time, the ball fell to Park Sung-Ho on the near post who powered a half volley towards the top corner which the keeper did amazingly well not just to save but to hold.
Hopes were high amongst the Citizen supporters at half time but danger signs were evident from the restart. Jeonbuk punted a long ball from midfield that sailed over the Daejeon defenders and was somehow volleyed over the bar by the Jeonbuk attacker.
Citizen were denied a clear penalty kick just before the hour mark when, after after initially shooting straight at the Jeonbuk goalkeeper, the Daejeon forward was clearly pulled down by the Jeonbuk defender. Somewhat bizarrely, the referee gave the foul in favour of Jeonbuk and Daejeon were denied what looked a stonewall penalty.
Soon after, Daejeon almost fell behind. Jeonbuk attacked down the right before threading the ball through to Lee Dong-Guk on the edge of the area who beautifully chipped the ball over Choi, only to see his effort bounce back off the bar and into the hands of the grateful Choi.
Not to be outdone, Daejeon would also hit the woodwork. A delightful interchange in midfield led to substitute Ale running clear on goal, only to see his effort brilliantly saved by the Jeonbuk keeper onto the post. It was agonisingly close and had the keeper not been having the game of his life, Citizen would have taken the lead.
Alas, it was Jeonbuk who finally broke the deadlock. A break from midfield left the Daejeon defence exposed. A delightful cross from the right found Lee Dong-Guk who expertly chested the ball down before smashing it into the top left corner.
From then out, there was only going to be one winner, with Choi Eun Song making a number of impressive saves. That said, Brazilian Ale again staked his claim for a place in the starting eleven with an excellent strike from the edge of the area that was again saved brilliantly by the Jeonbuk number one.
The final goal came soon after. Former Daejeon forward Brasilia was allowed acres of space to come 40 yards unchallenged before unleashing a thunderbolt into the top left corner, giving Choi absolutely no chance.
Daejeon can be pleased with the way that they performed against one of the top sides in the league. However, it was a game that showed that in the K-League, a pair of top class strikers can easily make the difference between mid-table and championship contenders. Since the departures of Denilson, Chuva and Brasilia almost two years ago, Daejeon have failed to bring in that sort of talent in forward positions. A win on Sunday at Pohang is now vital if Daejeon are to make anything of this season.
MOM: Valber
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