Last season’s K-League champions and runners-up, Jeonbuk and Ulsan, set the pace for the new campaign over the weekend both obtaining wins. The clubs experienced very different paths to the three points, but much of that was due to the opposition.
Reigning champions Jeonbuk started off round 1 at home against traditional powerhouse Suwon Samsung Bluewings claiming a late 1-0 win. Suwon finished eighth last term with their only highlight coming with an FA Cup trophy victory.
Jeonbuk were miles ahead of Suwon on Friday night dominating the fixture with 60% ball possession and 19 shots. The Green Warriors also tallied nine shots inside the 18-yard box while Suwon managed just one shot inside the box.
Suwon’s attack was abysmal with striker Adam Target cutting a forlorn figure in the final third. Target was the K-League's leading goalscorer in 2019 with 20 goals. However, nothing he did on Friday made it appear he could replicate the feat this time around.
Suwon failed to tally a show on target in 90 minutes of football. For anyone hoping they can mount an unlikely title challenge will be incredibly disappointed.
Jeonbuk’s title rival Ulsan had a much easier weekend defeating the already relegated Sangju Sangmu 4-0. Ulsan had the game in the bag by halftime with a 2-0 lead thanks to two goals from Junior Negrao.
Negrao has played for 18 different clubs during his career. The 33-year-old previously played for K-League team Daegu and with his two goals, has set the pace for the Golden Boot trophy.
He is Ulsan’s designated penalty taker with one of Saturday’s goals coming from the spot. The striker could be in-store to score plenty of times when Ulsan take to the pitch. Negrao finished second in the K-League Golden Boot race in 2019 bagging 19 goals, one shy of Target’s figure.
Surprisingly, Ulsan only kept 48% of ball possession and conceded 10 total shots. Ulsan goalkeeper Ju-hwan Seo was forced to make three saves. The scoreline may have flattered Ulsan slightly.
Next week’s match against Suwon away will be a real test for Ulsan. If the Bluewings come away with a victory, it would prove that this year’s shortened K-League season could be won by nearly anyone.
While Jeonbuk and Ulsan both claimed wins, last season’s third-place finishers and big spenders FC Seoul conceded three second-half goals to lose 3-1. Seoul’s inconsistencies prevented them from challenging for the title in 2019.
It is likely that the red and black will once again fail to find consistency. Seoul made just 284 passes compared to Gangwon’s 650. Manager Yong-soo Choi needs to find a way to get his side to play better against teams that finished in the top six last campaign to finish in the AFC Champions League places.
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