▲ Jeju United players celebrate their goal against Pohang Steelers during a K League 1 match at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on March 9, 2021, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Jeju United head coach Nam Ki-il (C) celebrates his club's 1-0 victory over Pohang Steelers in a K League 1 match at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on March 9, 2021, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Oskar Zawada of Jeju United (C) is in action against Pohang Steelers during a K League 1 match at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, on March 9, 2021, in this photo provided by the Korea Professional Football League. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

K League-team

Newly promoted Jeju United stay undefeated in K League 1 thanks to suffocating defense

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island, March 10 (Yonhap) -- Back on the big stage after one year in exile in the second division, Jeju United are undefeated in their first three matches of the K League 1, thanks largely to their hard-nosed defense.

Jeju opened the season with consecutive draws, first a 0-0 affair against Seongnam FC and then a 1-1 draw against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Jeju then blanked Pohang Steelers 1-0 Tuesday night at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju Island, for their first K League 1 victory since 2019.

They were relegated to the K League 2 after that season, but won that second division in 2020 to earn an automatic promotion behind suffocating defense.

Last year, Jeju ranked second in the K League 2 with 50 goals in 27 matches and gave up the fewest goals with just 23. Their defensive identity, founded on constant pressure and cohesiveness, has carried over to the K League 1 so far.

Their clean-sheet victory over Pohang was particularly impressive. Though Pohang had lost two of their top scorers from last season, Stanislav Iljutcenko and Aleksandar Palocevic, to rival clubs, they still showed some firepower in scoring five goals in winning the first two matches of 2021.

Then Pohang ran into Jeju's wall. Three attackers up front, Kong Min-hyun, Oskar Zawada and Lee Kyu-hyuk, presented the first line of pressure on Pohang ball carriers, and their three defensive backs and wingbacks on either flank also covered a lot of ground.

Jeju took the lead after 19 minutes, courtesy of Chung Woon. Given the style of their play, some starters appeared gassed in late stretches, but Jeju were still able to keep Pohang off the board.

"Now that we're playing in the top division, we don't want to back down against tough competition and we want to keep playing our game," Nam said. "But now, we're still in the process of building a competitive squad."

Both of Jeju's goals so far this season have been scored by defenders. They have three foreign forwards in the system, but only Zawada, former Polish junior international, has seen action so far.

After coming off the bench in the first two matches, Zawada got the start Tuesday and played 75 minutes.

"He still has to work on a few things, but he's been getting better and better," Nam said. "He showed enough today, and I feel confident in playing him in our next match."

Two others, Gerso Fernandes and Islom Kenjabaev, are expected to join Zawada in a few weeks.

"I'd love to play all of those guys, but they haven't had a lot of time to train and there could be some injury risks," the coach said. "I'll be careful with them and make sure they're on the same page with the others. I think we'll probably see all three of them after March."

Jeju have three more matches coming up this month.

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