Gwangju FC pulled off a dramatic come-from-behind victory thanks to Thomas’ late K League debut goal.
Gwangju won 2-1 at home against Suwon Samseong in the 17th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at the Gwangju Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on July 7. It was Gwangju’s fourth straight win and fifth straight unbeaten (four wins and one draw), including the FA Cup. Last-place Suwon fell to a fourth straight defeat.
Home team Gwangju started with a partially rotated 4-4-2, with Lee Hee-gyun and Heo Yul up top and Jeong Jeong-hoon, Lee Kang-hyun, Jeong Ho-yeon, and Asani forming the midfield and flanks. Lee Min-Ki, Timo, Aaron, and Doo Hyun-Seok defended the back four and Lee Jun was in goal.
The away team, Suwon, lined up in a 4-1-2-3. Lee Sang-min, Ahn Byung-joon, and Jeong Seung-won led the front three and were supported by Yoo Je-ho and Jeon Jin-woo in the second line. Ko Seung-bum was in the third line. The back four was Lee Ki-je, Park Dae-won, Han Ho-gang, and Jang Ho-ik, with Yang Hyung-mo in goal.
Gwangju dominated the first half. They opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a left-footed mid-range shot from Asani.
After that, Gwangju continued to pound Suwon. In the 36th minute, Asani’s left-footed free kick hit the defense, and a minute later, Lee Hee-gyun’s right-footed mid-range shot found the arms of Yang Hyung-mo.
A crouching Suwon took the lead. Ahn Byung-jun doubled the lead in the 40th minute with a left-footed shot straight from Lee Sang-min’s pass.
Gwangju brought on Uhm Ji-sung and Lee Soon-min at the start of the second half to make it a contest. In the eighth minute of the second half, Park Han-bin and Thomas were introduced to give the offense a boost. However, three minutes later, Uhm suffered an ankle injury, and Kim Han-gil was brought on to complete the attack.
After a flurry of substitutions, Gwangju regained its momentum. Aaron headed in a cross from Kim Han-gil in the 17th minute, but it was blocked by Yang Hyung-mo. Park Han-bin shot at the loose ball but missed.
After surviving the crisis, Suwon started to counterattack. In the 18th minute of the second half, Acosti broke through on a counterattack, but his shot was blocked by Lee Jun.
Gwangju managed to equalize. Thomas broke through in the 23rd minute and his right-footed mid-range shot rattled the net. 안전놀이터
With the momentum on their side, Gwangju looked to take the lead. Park Han-bin attempted a right-footed mid-range shot in the 26th minute that was saved by Yang Hyung-mo.
Both teams continued to push for the final goal. Thomas pulled off a dramatic comeback in the 45th minute. After receiving a pass from Park Han-bin, his shot was blocked by the defense, and he converted the ensuing shot to complete the dramatic comeback.