Ahead of the Korean Football Association (FA) Cup final, Pohang Steelers head coach Kim Ki-dong said, “We will win in front of our home fans,” to which Jeonbuk Hyundai head coach Dan Petrescu responded, “We are here to win.”

Pohang and Jeonbuk will meet in the 2023 Hana OneQ FA Cup Final at 2:15 p.m. on April 4 at Pohang Steelyard. In the semifinals, Pohang defeated Jeju United and Jeonbuk defeated Incheon United to reach the final.

This is the fifth meeting between the two teams this season. In the last four meetings, Pohang has held the advantage with three wins and one draw. In the first meeting of the season in April, Pohang won 2-1 at home in Jeonbuk. A month later, Pohang defeated Jeonbuk 1-0 at home to make it two wins in a row. The third meeting in July saw Pohang extend their winning streak to three games with a 2-1 victory at home. In their most recent meeting, on August 28, the teams played to a 1-1 draw.

The match was highly controversial, with Pohang potentially facing a forfeit due to poor officiating by both the Pohang side and the referees.

In the 22nd minute of the first half, Pohang requested to send out Shin Kwang-hoon without Kim In-sung as Kim Yong-hwan was receiving treatment off the field due to an injury. However, the entire refereeing staff understood that an injured player was being substituted and allowed Shin Kwang-hoon to come on without Kim In-sung leaving the field. The game continued with Kim In-sung and Shin Kwang-hoon playing at the same time for about four and a half minutes, and after realizing the mistake, the referees sent Kim In-sung off and resumed the game.

All of the referees were suspended by the FA for the remainder of the match, and Pohang are awaiting the outcome of the case to see if they will be awarded a forfeit. 무지개토토 도메인

The two teams will meet again in the FA Cup in about a week’s time, so they will be eager to win. Pohang will be looking to continue the momentum of their head-to-head advantage this season, as well as rekindle fond memories of defeating Jeonbuk in the 2013 final to win the title. Jeonbuk, on the other hand, is looking for its first win in the series and to avenge its final defeat a decade ago.