Gwangju won their 2023 Hana OneQ FA Cup Round of 16 match against Seoul Eland 1-0 with a goal from Heo Yul on Thursday at Mokdong Sports Complex.
Gwangju, who advanced to the 메이저놀이터 quarterfinals in dramatic fashion, will meet the winner of Jeonbuk Hyundai and Paju City Football Club in the quarterfinals on June 28.
Lee Land lined up in a 4-4-2 formation. Moon Jung-in was in goal and Kim Min-kyu, Cha Seung-hyun, Cho Dong-jae, and Hwang Jung-wook made up the defense. In the midfield, Lee Sang-min, Seo Bo-min, Yoo Jung-wan, and Bruno guarded the back line, while Lee Chang-joon and Honan were up front.
Gwangju also lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Lee Jun in goal and Lee Sang-ki, Aaron, Kim Jae-bong, and Shin Chang-mu in defense. Ha Seung-woon and Joo Young-jae lined up on the flanks, Lee Kang-hyun and Park Han-bin in the midfield, and Ofusung and Thomas up front to try and score.
In the first half, Lee Land threatened Gwangju several times with quick offensive transitions. However, Gwangju, who came out with a new strategy, couldn’t find a solution.
Lee Land took control of the game, but their finishing was lacking, and the first half ended with the same score.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Gwangju was on the defensive as Lee Land took control of the game.
Yiland made good progress to the front of the box, but their finishing continued to be lacking, and Gwangju gradually found space in the back on the counterattack.
Gwangju gradually increased their time of possession and tried to attack, but they struggled against Iland’s two-row defense, which dropped deep in a 5-4-1. Gwangju made a comeback in the 34th minute of the second half when Lee came on for Shin Chang-moo, returning from injury.
Gwangju was left disappointed in the 35th minute when Lee Gun-hee blew a crucial chance in the box wide.
Neither team could find the back of the net in the three minutes of stoppage time, but substitute Heo Yul scored the game-winning goal in the 46th minute of stoppage time after a line break.