Anyang rout Gimcheon, handing Jeonbuk the title

The significance of this result had national implications. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are K League champions after Anyang trashed Gimcheon in front of over seven thousand delirious fans.

FC Anyang 4 (Han Ka-ram 1', Moon Seon-woo 39', Bruno Mota 57' and 91')

Gimcheon Sangmu 1(Won Ki-jong 70')

Key Details:

• Kim Bo-kyung (200) and Bruno Mota (100) honoured for K League appearance milestones.
• Han Ka-ram scored his first goal for Anyang after 50 seconds.
• Moon Seon-woo doubled the lead before the break after having a goal ruled out.
• Mota made it three on the hour mark.
• Won Ki-jong brought Gimcheon into the match on 70 minutes.
• Mota made sure of the three points with a header on 91 minutes.

FC Anyang saved their best performance of the season for a cold and overcast Saturday afternoon against Gimcheon Sangmu. Gimcheon had an outside chance of winning the title, but those dreams were extinguished on a bruising afternoon in Bisan-dong. They lost by three, but it could (and possibly should) have been six.

Now facing the loss of several key players back to their parent clubs, Gimcheon can focus on  achieving second with five matches to go. The Final A fixtures will be announced on Monday. This would be an improvement on last season, and deserved after a great year. The rebuild will now begin as they face the reality of their unique situation.

But today was all about Anyang. Relegation is still a possibility, but the sheer quality of this performance should cast major doubts on that happening. Despite missing Matheus Oliveira and Yago, to name just two, Anyang tore Gimcheon apart in a stunning display. They completely overran Gimcheon, especially in the second half. It is unlikely Kim Dong-jin will ever get more space down his left side again.

Kim set up two goals for Bruno Mota after Han Ka-ram and Moon Seon-woo put Anyang ahead at the break. On another day, Anyang might have rued several great chances going amiss, but that didn't mattered today. The smiles in the crowd, on the pitch, and in the media centre after the match told their own story. Job done, and with a swagger.

Hundreds of fans hadn't even found their seats when Anyang won a corner straight from kick-off. The ball was headed out to the edge of the area, only to be met by midfielder Han Ka-ram, earning a rare start for the club. Han volleyed first-time into the top right hand corner, for his first goal of the season. A breathtaking finish from the most unlikely of sources.

This was Han's ninth appearance of the season. He has taken the path less traveled to reach this point. After school, he headed straight for Germany to begin a career in Europe, before retuning to Korea in 2024. Now 27, his last competitive goal was for BSV Schwarz-Weiß Rehden in the 2022/23 season.

Anyang thought they had doubled their lead on 33 minutes, and what a sensational goal it would have been. Right-back Lee Tae-hee's long cross was met at the back post by the youngest member of the Anyang line up, Moon Seon-woo. The talented winger connected first time to find the opposite corner. However, after a very short review, the goal was chalked off for offside.

Moon Seon-woo makes it 2-0.

Six minutes later, Moon got his goal. Yet again, another fantastic goal from the home team. Gimcheon conceded possession in Anyang's half, Chae Seong-beom broke to create a 3-on-2. Bruno Mota dragged the cover to the centre of the goal, Chae found Moon at the edge of the box, and the young winger cut back inside to slide the ball home.

This was Anyang's way of telling K League 1;we don't belong in a relegation battle.

Anyang came closest to scoring in the second half, but Chae's shot came off the inside the bar. It looked like it might have crossed the line, but Mota was offside in the buildup. Inevitably, it would be Mota who'd grab the third. Kim Dong-jin's excellent out swinging corner found the Brazilian in the box. He headed into the turf, taking the goalkeeper out of the equation.

This was a turning into a proper shellacking as Anyang tore Gimcheon to shreds. But they wasted several glorious chances to add some gloss to the scoreboard. There are only so many chances you can give up to a class team, however. Won Ki-jong made Anyang pay with a neat finish on 70 minutes. There was almost no reaction from the visiting team.

Mota and Anyang celebrate the fourth of the match.

Mota completed the rout in injury time. For the second time today, the prolific Brazilian met a Kim Dong-jin cross to head away from the goalkeeper. Despite a tricky 10 minute spell after Won's consolation, this was sublime football from Anyang. It was four, but it could have been six or seven.

This late capitulation from Sangmu means Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are 2025 K League 1 champions.

Up next

The league now splits into Final A (top six) and Final B (bottom six). Gimcheon were assured of a spot in Final A before today's match, with Anyang confirmed in Final B. The fixtures for the split haven't been announced yet. Both teams know they have five matches remaining, but the dates, locations, and opponents have yet to be revealed.

Attendance: 7,178.