▲ FC Seoul players celebrate a goal.
K League 1 leaders FC Seoul defeated formidable opponents Jeju SK FC, narrowing their magic number for a championship title—their first in 10 years—down to 7 points.
Seoul secured a 2-1 victory against Jeju in their Hana Bank K League 1 2026 Round 31 home match held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
With this win, Seoul extended their lead at the top of the table to an 18-point gap over second-place Ulsan, who have played one game fewer.
Seoul can now secure their 7th K League 1 title through their own efforts by earning just 7 points in their remaining 7 matches, regardless of other teams' results.
On the other hand, Jeju's recent five-match undefeated streak (3 wins, 2 draws) came to an end, though they managed to maintain 4th place.
Both Seoul and Jeju sought to break through each other's territory until the middle of the first half, but failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities due to a lack of finishing touches.
Jeju created the game's first decisive moment.
In the 29th minute of the first half, Kim Shin-jin fired a bold long-range shot that narrowly missed Seoul's left goalpost. Just a minute later, Park Soo-bin connected with a pass from Italo as he cut into the left side of the penalty arc, hitting a left-footed shot that struck the crossbar and leaving Jeju to rue missed chances.
Both teams also suffered setbacks due to injuries.
Seoul's key midfielder Lee Seung-mo complained of pain in his right knee during a ball contest around the 35th minute of the first half and was substituted. Jeju's central playmaker Italo also collapsed on the pitch with thigh pain during first-half stoppage time and was replaced by Kwon Gi-min at the start of the second half.
Seoul broke the deadlock first.
Just a minute into the second half, Choi Jun sent a cross from the right side of the penalty area, and Moon Seon-min redirected it with his right foot right in front of the goal to score the opener and take the lead.
Jeju did not collapse easily.
In the 27th minute of the second half, Kim Ryun-sung delivered a cross from the left flank, which Lee Gun-hee trapped with his chest near the left side of the goal area before unleashing a spectacular diving right-footed scissors kick to level the score.
Striker Climalala stepped up as Seoul's "victory fairy."
In the 33rd minute of the second half, a space pass was played from the back, and Moon Seon-min redirected it forward with a header from midfield. Climalala rushed forward and slotted home the winning goal with a right-footed shot from the center of the penalty area, sealing a 2-1 victory.
Moon Seon-min recorded multiple offensive points with one goal and one assist, while Climalala scored his 14th goal of the league to move to the top of the scoring charts.
(Photo courtesy of Korea Professional Football League, Yonhap News)
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