Jeju SK hold off Suwon Samsung to begin K League promotion playoffs

Jeju SK FC took a big step toward avoiding relegation to the second division in Korean football Wednesday, as they won the first leg of their key playoff series on the road. Yuri Jonathan's 67th-minute penalty stood as the winner as Jeju SK defeated Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1-0 to open their K League promotion-relegation playoffs at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul. The return leg of this home-and-away series will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo on the southern island of Jeju. Jeju SK ended up in these playoffs after finishing in 11th place in the top-flight K League 1. They must win this series to stay in the top division and avoid falling into the K League 2 for the first time since 2020. Suwon Samsung, four-time K League 1 champions with several other major trophies, were relegated to the K League 2 after the 2023 season. This year, they qualified for the promotion-relegation playoffs by finishing in second place in the K League 2 but now find themselves in a 1-0 hole heading into the away leg Sunday. There will be no away goalsWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times