▲ Manager Kim Gi-dong
K League 1 leaders FC Seoul secured a 1-0 victory over Bucheon FC, extending their winning streak to three matches.
Seoul held on to an early second-half winning goal by Patryk Klimala to defeat Bucheon 1-0 in their Hana Bank K League 1 2026 Round 25 home match at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Having secured victories in their previous matches against Daejeon Hana Citizen (4-2) in Round 23 and FC Anyang (7-0) in Round 24, Seoul triumphed for the third consecutive game to reach 53 points, further boosting their chances of claiming their first title in 10 years.
The gap with second-placed Jeonbuk Hyundai (38 points) widened to 15 points.
They lead third-placed Ulsan HD (37 points), who have played one game fewer, by 16 points.
Seoul also maintained their perfect all-time record against Bucheon.
With today's result, Seoul holds a record of 3 wins in 3 league matches against Bucheon, and 4 wins in 4 official matches including the Korea Cup.
Bucheon, whose winning streak was halted at two games, sits in 9th place with 30 points.
Looking to carry over the momentum from their 7-0 rout of Anyang, Seoul aggressively pressed into Bucheon's territory, but struggled to break the deadlock early on.
In the 25th minute, Lee Seung-mo fired a mid-range shot following a pass from Klimala, and in the 33rd minute, Park Soo-il unleashed a powerful left-footed volley, with both attempts narrowly missing the right side of the goal.
Even a header from close range by Lee Seung-mo off Moon Seon-min's cross in the 44th minute drifted wide of the left post.
The long-awaited goal finally came four minutes into the second phase.
During a ensuing corner kick situation, a mid-range shot by Seoul's Choi Jun deflected off the bodies of Bucheon and Seoul players, rolling right to Klimala, who was lurking on the right side of the penalty area.
Klimala capitalized on the opportunity, firing a right-footed shot to shake the back of the net.
Scoring his 10th goal of the season, Klimala tied with Mugosa (Incheon) for second place in the league scoring rankings.
He trails league leader Yago (Ulsan) by just one goal.
Klimala has now scored in all three matches against Bucheon this season.
Bucheon attempted to shift the momentum by simultaneously bringing on foreign aces Galego and Basani in the 9th minute of the second half, but their energetic attacks failed to materialize into goals.
Seoul's victory was sealed in stoppage time when Yun Bit-garam's sharp shot aiming for the right corner of Seoul's goal was blocked by goalkeeper Gu Sung-yun.
Jeonbuk, closely chasing Seoul, played to a 0-0 draw in their away match against lower-tier Gimcheon Sangmu.
Extending their unbeaten run to two games following a win against Ulsan in the previous round, Jeonbuk temporarily edged past Ulsan into second place.
Ulsan is scheduled to play their Round 25 match against Daejeon on the 26th.
Gimcheon, which has recorded four consecutive league draws, remained in 11th place with 27 points.
Jeonbuk deployed Motta, who scored the winning goal in the previous match against Ulsan, at the frontline, flanked by Lee Dong-jun and Italo. After two first-half shots on target went in vain, Jeonbuk substituted Italo and Motta with Lee Seung-woo and Thiago in the second half in search of a goal.
However, Gimcheon launched waves of attacks from early in the second half, forcing Jeonbuk largely onto the defensive.
In stoppage time during a Gimcheon attack, Jung Jae-min went down following a challenge with Jeonbuk defender Park Ji-soo, resulting in a penalty kick. However, the decision was overturned after the referee's on-field review, squandering a golden scoring opportunity for Gimcheon.
Having survived the scare, Jeonbuk nearly broke through about 8 minutes into stoppage time when Lee Seung-woo targeted the net with a sharp right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area, only to be denied by Gimcheon goalkeeper Baek Jong-beom.
At the Jeju World Cup Stadium, Pohang Steelers defeated the surging home team Jeju SK 2-1.
Accumulating 34 points, Pohang overtook Incheon United (33 points), who have yet to play their Round 25 match, to claim 6th place.
Jeju, whose 9-match unbeaten streak in the league (4 wins, 5 draws) came to an end, remained static at 35 points while holding onto 5th place.
In the 15th minute, Pohang's Won Ki-jong received a pass from Hwang Seo-woong on the left flank, dribbled past a defender to break into the penalty box, and slotted home a right-footed shot to open the scoring.
Four minutes into the second half, Kento Nishiya finished off a cross from Kim Dong-jin on the left flank with a header, securing Pohang's second goal.
Jeju pulled one back through Célestine in stoppage time, but could not prevent the end of their unbeaten run.
(Photo provided by Korea Professional Football League, Yonhap News)
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