▲ Gwangju forward Aile Dale
Gwangju FC forward Aile Dale (27, Australia), who kept the K League 1 bottom-dwellers' hopes of remaining in the top flight alive by scoring multiple goals, has been selected as the round's Most Valuable Player (MVP).
The K League announced on October 27 that Aile Dale was chosen as the MVP for Round 33 of Hana Bank K League 1 2026.
Aile Dale led Gwangju to a 3-0 clean-sheet victory by scoring two goals in an away match against Bucheon FC held at Bucheon Stadium on October 24.
Just before the end of the first half, Aile Dale calmly finished a pass from Ba Loua with his left foot to open the scoring, and then sealed the victory in the 20th minute of the second half with a header to make it 2-0.
Had Gwangju lost the match against Bucheon, their relegation to K League 2 could have been confirmed regardless of the results of the remaining five matches in the final round.
However, fueled by Aile Dale's stellar performance—marking goals in five consecutive league matches (7 goals in total) up to this game—the team kept their slim hopes of staying in the top division alive.
Aile Dale was also named to the Round 33 Best XI alongside teammate and forward Ba Loua, and defender van Hroonsven.
The Best Match of Round 33 was the encounter between Ulsan HD and Pohang Steelers (ending in a 2-2 draw) held at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on October 24.
Pohang took an early lead with Wanderson's opening goal in the 2nd minute of the first half and Kim Seung-ho's header in the 25th minute, but Ulsan brought the game back to level terms with Kim Young-gwon's header in the 16th minute of the second half and Lee Dong-gyeong's equalizer amid a goalmouth scramble in the 23rd minute of the second half.
Incheon United was selected as the Best Team for Round 33.
Incheon secured a 3-1 victory in their home match against Jeju SK on October 24, thanks to consecutive goals in the second half by Lee Myung-joo, Lee Dong-ryul, and Lee Chung-yong, thereby locking in 6th place in the league and securing a spot in Final A (top 6).
(Photo courtesy of K League, Yonhap News)
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