Incheon United kept their hopes of advancing to the round of 16 alive with a winner-take-all victory.
Incheon United defeated Yokohama Mariners 2-1 in the fifth match of Group G of the 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) on Monday at the Incheon Football Stadium to move into second place on winner-take-all.
Both Incheon (W3 D2 L2) and Yokohama (W3 D2 L2) are tied on nine points, but ACL rules dictate that the standings will be decided by winner-take-all. Incheon has won two straight games against Yokohama. Shandong Taishan, who have won two straight against Incheon, are in first place with one game less to play.
Incheon started Hernandez on the bench, with Kim Bo-seob, Cheon Sung-hoon, and Park Seung-ho in the back three. It was an unavoidable choice given the tight league schedule and injuries. Still, it wasn’t a bad start for Incheon at home, as they pushed their opponents from the start.
In the 11th minute, Incheon broke through when Kim Do-hyuk’s pass was crossed by Park Seung-ho to Kim Bo-seop. The ball was sent into the box by Chun Sung-hoon, 카지노사이트가이드 whose shot was saved by the opposing goalkeeper, but Hong Si-hoo quickly rushed in and finished to give Incheon a 1-0 lead.
Incheon went on the offensive.
While Yokohama was distracted, Incheon began to attack in waves, most notably in the 17th minute, when Chun Sung-hoon beat a defender in the box and fired a turnover shot. In the 22nd minute, Hong Shihu also sent in a threatening cross.
Yokohama also fought back. In the 30th minute, Uenaka made a quick breakthrough and fired a shot into the sky. In the 34th minute, goalkeeper Kim Dong-hyun stretched out to block a powerful right-footed shot from Eubert. Kim Dong-hyun also saved a threatening chance in the 35th minute.
Incheon made a substitution at the start of the second half. Hernandez replaced Park Hyun-bin in the seventh minute of the second half and Kim Min-seok and Min Kyung-hyun replaced Hong Si-hoo and Cheon Sung-hoon in the 19th minute. Hernandez, who came on as a substitute, converted a cross from Kim Bo-seop in the 21st minute of the second half after the offense started with Kim Do-hyuk.
With a 2-0 lead, Incheon switched to defense. Yokohama went on the offensive, but Incheon held their ground. Yokohama pulled one back in the 37th minute off a corner kick, but that was it. The match ended with Incheon’s second straight win against Yokohama (4-2 away, 2-1 at home).