Incheon United Shocks Jeonbuk Hyundai: How They Turned the Game Around in K League 2026

[Sports Seoul | Jeonju — Jung Da-wo] Incheon United moved up to fifth after stunning Jeonbuk Hyundai.

Incheon defeated Jeonbuk 2-1 on the 21st at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Round 9 of the 2026 Hana Bank K League 1. After conceding the opener, Incheon rallied to claim three valuable away points. The victory lifted Incheon from 10th to fifth with 11 points, earning them a spot in Final A.

Jeonbuk struck first. From the right side of the penalty area, Kang Sang-yoon delivered a sharp cross that defender Cho Ui-je met with a powerful header to open the scoring.

One minute later, Lee Dong-jun broke forward on a counter and curled a left-footed attempt, but the shot drifted just wide of the post.

With the match level, a turning point came in the 38th minute. Inside the box, Choi Woo-jin tangled with Incheon forward Perrier and the referee awarded a penalty. Lee Myung-ju stepped up and smashed the spot kick to tie the game 1-1.

The teams went into the break tied 1-1. Jeonbuk made a tactical change at halftime, bringing on Lee Seung-woo for Kang Sang-yoon to boost their attack.

Lee Seung-woo’s movement across the flanks and through the center opened space that Jeonbuk tried to exploit. Seven minutes into the second half, Kim Seung-seop unleashed a powerful shot from the arc, but goalkeeper Lee Tae-hee parried it away.

Incheon answered with the go-ahead goal. In the 14th minute of the second half, Lee Dong-ryul combined in a 2-on-1 with Choi Seung-gu on the right, then placed a precise left-footed shot toward the near post to beat goalkeeper Song Beom-geun.

Urgent for a response, Jeonbuk made changes in the 18th minute of the second half, bringing on Motta and Kim Ha-jun for Lee Dong-jun and Choi Woo-jin. Incheon countered in the 21st minute by replacing Lee Dong-ryul and Lee Myung-ju with Jerso and Iker.

Jeonbuk fashioned a clear chance in the 30th minute of the second half when Kim Ha-jun whipped in a cross from the left and Lee Seung-woo met it with a header, but Lee Tae-hee threw his body to deny the effort.

With eight minutes of stoppage time, Jeonbuk pressed hard to level the score but couldn’t break down Incheon’s defense. The match ended as a 2-1 win for Incheon. weo@sportsseoul.com