Jeonnam Dragons Advance in K League 2 Playoffs, Keep Promotion Hopes Alive.

Jeonnam: Jeonnam Dragons advanced to the next stage of the playoffs in the second-tier football league Thursday, keeping alive their hopes of earning promotion back to the top competition. Jeonnam played Busan IPark to a goalless draw in the first round of the K League 2 playoffs at Gwangyang Football Stadium in Gwangyang, some 290 kilometers south of Seoul. As the higher seed at No. 4, Jeonnam moved on to the next round over the fifth-seed Busan. According to Yonhap News Agency, Jeonnam Dragons players and coaches celebrated advancing to the next round of the K League 2 playoffs following a goalless draw against Busan IPark in their first-round match at Gwangyang Football Stadium in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. The second round will see Jeonnam face Seoul E-Land FC, the No. 3 seed, at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday at Mokdong Stadium in the capital city. The winner of the upcoming match will earn a spot in one of two promotion-relegation playoff matchups against a to-be-determined K League 1 opponent. The victor ious side in the two-legged series will play in the K League 1 in 2025, marking a potential return for Jeonnam, who were relegated after finishing last in the K League 1 in 2018 and have remained in the second division since. Busan, on the other hand, have been competing in the K League 2 every year since 2021. In the match against Busan, the latter team needed a win to advance and displayed more aggression early on. In the third minute, Yuhei Sato's right-footed shot hit the woodwork, setting the tone for Busan's offensive efforts. Despite their attempts, including a notable save by Jeonnam's goalkeeper Ryu Won-woo in the 65th minute, Busan failed to score. Sato also missed a midrange shot to the right just four minutes later. Jeonnam faced a setback in the 84th minute when substitute Kim Jong-min was sent off for elbowing Lee Han-do, reducing the team to ten players. However, Jeonnam managed to hold Busan at bay, despite Busan having 12 shot attempts compared to Jeonnam's four.