Professional soccer’s K League 1 Pohang Steelers and Incheon United shared a point in their first Final A match.

The two teams played to a 1-1 draw in the 34th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 Final A at Pohang Steel Yard on Tuesday, with Incheon’s Jerso scoring a goal in the first half and Pohang’s Zeca in the second.

Pohang broke a goalless streak that had lasted for the previous three matches, but remains winless in its last four matches (three draws and one loss).

They remain in second place with 59 points, but have not significantly reduced the gap to leaders Ulsan Hyundai (67 points), who have yet to play 34 rounds.

Incheon extended its unbeaten run to five matches (two wins and three draws) and moved up one spot to fifth place (49-39 points), overtaking Daegu FC on goal difference.

Pohang, who lost Wandelsson and Oberdan to back-to-back injuries at the end of the regular round, put Zeca up front, with Hangzhou Asian Games gold medalist Ko Young-joon backing him up.

Incheon, who were without Mugosa after he returned from the Montenegro national team tournament and Shin Shin-ho and Delbridge were out with injuries, put Jerso and Hernandez in the attacking lineup.

It was Pohang who created the first near-goal.

In the 20th minute, Han Chan-hee’s shot from the center of the penalty area was blocked by goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon, and Jung Jae-hee, who made his return to the team after being sidelined for more than six months with a hamstring injury, slid it in to rattle the net. However, the goal was disallowed after a video assistant referee (VAR) check pointed to offside.

With their chests heaving, Incheon took the lead in the 26th minute.

Kim Dong-heon’s long kick went straight to the right flank where Jerso started his rush, and as Pohang goalkeeper Hwang In-jae came forward to stop it, he failed to handle the ball properly, allowing Jerso to take advantage of the empty space and slam home a left-footed shot.

Pohang, who made two changes to start the second half, replacing Jung Jae-hee with Kim In-sung and bringing on Kim Jong-woo and Shim Sang-min for Kim Jun-ho and Shin Kwang-hoon in the 15th minute, drew level with a penalty kick in the 32nd minute.

Zeca was brought down in a contest with Incheon defender Kim Dong-min, resulting in a penalty kick, and the direct kicker’s shot was blocked by Kim Dong-heon, but it was ruled that Kim’s foot came off the line first before Zeca could kick. Zeca didn’t miss his second attempt, slotting home a right-footed shot for his 11th goal of the season. 토토사이트

Pohang, who replaced Kim In-sung with Hong Yun-sang in the final minute of the second half, continued to push forward, but both Hong’s 42nd-minute shot and Go’s 44th-minute shot were blocked by Kim Dong-heon and hit the ground.