K League 1 leaders FC Seoul and the high-flying Gangwon FC ended their respective winning streaks after a scoreless draw in a tightly contested match.
Seoul played to a 0-0 draw against Gangwon in the 17th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2026, held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on July 12.
With this draw, both teams saw their three-game winning streaks come to an end.
Seoul added one point to reach 36 points (11 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses), extending their lead over second-place Jeonbuk Hyundai (29 points; 8 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses) to 7 points and solidifying their position at the top of the table.
Gangwon, which had been hunting down domestic "big clubs" after defeating Ulsan HD (2-0) before the break and Jeonbuk (2-1) in the previous round, failed to secure a fourth consecutive victory against the league leaders.
Gangwon's winless streak in away matches against Seoul, which has persisted since November 28, 2021, has now extended to 10 games (4 draws, 6 losses).
However, Gangwon proved their resilience by extending their unbeaten run to seven games (4 wins, 3 draws).
They currently sit in third place with 28 points (7 wins, 7 draws, 3 losses), trailing Jeonbuk.
The match was played in sweltering heat, with temperatures reaching nearly 31°C (88°F).
The extreme weather led to a concerning situation where two spectators collapsed during the match.
The game was briefly halted as medical staff from both teams rushed into the stands to provide emergency treatment to one of the fans.
In the first half, both teams engaged in an intense battle for midfield control.
Gangwon employed their signature aggressive high press, while Seoul countered to find attacking lanes. The two sides remained deadlocked, struggling to create opportunities, with only three shots on target combined (one for Seoul, two for Gangwon) in the first half.
Both teams picked up the attacking tempo in the second half, but the goalkeepers, Park Cheong-hyo (Gangwon, 9 clean sheets) and Gu Sung-yun (Seoul, 8 clean sheets)—who lead the league in clean sheets—shined with impressive saves.
In the 16th minute of the second half, a sharp mid-range shot from Gangwon's Seo Min-woo was blocked by a diving save from Gu Sung-yun.
Two minutes later, Seoul's Vabets received a direct pass from Klimala and fired a one-touch shot, but it was stopped by the fingertips of Park Cheong-hyo.
Gangwon then seized the momentum and fiercely threatened Seoul's goal.
In the 37th minute of the second half, Kim Dae-won delivered a low cross that Kim Gun-hee met with a sharp header, but it could not get past goalkeeper Gu Sung-yun.
Just three minutes later, they had another golden opportunity, but were denied by the woodwork.
Song Jun-seok received a through ball from Kim Dae-won and aimed for the top of the net, but his shot struck the crossbar and bounced away.
At the Incheon Football Stadium, the visiting FC Anyang defeated Incheon United 1-0.
Anyang, having shaken off the disappointment of a 2-3 loss to Pohang Steelers in the previous round where they held a numerical advantage, moved up one spot to sixth place (23 points).
Incheon, suffering their second consecutive defeat, dropped to seventh place (21 points).
Anyang scored the opening goal just four minutes into the match when Kwon Kyung-won connected with a low cross from Matheus on the left with his left foot.
This was the first goal for the club for the national team defender Kwon Kyung-won, who has been playing for Anyang since last season.
Incheon launched a wave of attacks led by Mugosa, Gerso, and Lee Chung-yong, but they failed to score and had to accept a frustrating home defeat.
The match between Jeju SK FC and Daejeon Hana Citizen at the Jeju World Cup Stadium also ended in a scoreless draw.
Jeju remains winless in four games (2 draws, 2 losses), while Daejeon is stuck in a six-game winless slump (3 draws, 3 losses).
In the 17th minute of the first half, Daejeon's Seo Jin-soo fired a mid-range shot from the center of the penalty arc; the goalkeeper parried it, and striker Joo Min-kyu followed up to find the net, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside ruling.
Joo Min-kyu found the back of the net again in the 4th minute of the second half after finishing a cross from Eom Won-sang on the left.
However, this goal was also ruled out after it was determined that Eom Won-sang was in an offside position when he received the ball, leaving the team disappointed once more.
Jeju increased the intensity of their attacks in the second half, but they lacked the finishing touch to secure all three points, including a moment in the 37th minute when Shin Sang-eun fired a one-touch shot from a cutback that missed just to the right of the goal.
(Photo: Provided by Korea Professional Football League, Yonhap News)