Daejeon Hana Citizen forward Jeong Jae-hee (32) sent a message of consolation to teammate Masa (31), who collapsed with an injury.
Daejeon Hana Citizen routed Gwangju FC 5-0 in an away match at Gwangju World Cup Stadium at 7 p.m. on the 2nd in the 2026 Hana Bank K League 1 2026 round 11, extending their first winning streak of the season.
With this, Daejeon, after defeating Ulsan 4-1 in the previous round, once again produced as many as 5 goals in this match, showcasing their blazing firepower. As a result, they recorded 4 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses, totaling 15 points, jumping up to fifth place. Now the gap with second-place Jeonbuk (18 points) is only three points.
It was a dominant victory from start to finish. Daejeon took an early lead in the seventh minute of the first half with Diogo's header, and made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute of the first half with Jeong Jae-hee's second goal. Then in the second half, with consecutive goals from Kim Jun-beom, Jeong Jae-hee and Joo Min-kyu, they completed a five-goal rout.
The undisputed hero of the victory was Jeong Jae-hee. He connected a ball that spilled from a first-half set piece into a follow-up goal, breaking Gwangju's momentum, and in the ninth minute of the second half he did not miss Gwangju goalkeeper Kim Kyung-min's passing mistake, striking a nonstop shot into the net. Jeong Jae-hee, who scored in the previous round against Ulsan, has now scored in two consecutive matches.
Named the most valuable player, Jeong Jae-hee smiled in a broadcast interview after the match, saying, "Many fans came today, and I'm so happy we could win so big like this. I'm even happier that we finished with a clean sheet."
He also said, "Gwangju has conceded a lot of goals recently, but their performance itself was very good. We must not be complacent. There are many young players, and I thought we shouldn't let them build confidence, so we tried to be aggressive. It seems that worked."
When asked whether his body is now 100 percent, he waved his hand. Jeong Jae-hee said, "I don't think I'm 100 percent yet. I'd give it about 85 points," and added, "I'm improving slowly, so if you wait a little, I think I'll be 100 percent."
There was also a regrettable moment. In a late first-half counterattack, Jeong Jae-hee used a clever touch to shake off the opposing defense, but instead of shooting he passed to Diogo and the pass ran behind, causing him to miss the chance.
When asked about that play, Jeong Jae-hee said with an embarrassed laugh, "When the chance came I looked at the goal and thought about shooting, but I saw Diogo was alone. So I aimed between the defender's legs and passed, but the ball went backward, which was unfortunate."
Now Daejeon's goal is victory in the upcoming match against Incheon. Since home results have been especially poor this season, they must win at home against Incheon and turn back the steps of fans who are leaving. Jeong Jae-hee stressed, "We beat Ulsan and caught Gwangju, so we've gained a lot of momentum. Therefore, if fans come to home games in large numbers, we can repay them with good performances."
Finally, Jeong Jae-hee sent support to Masa, who is undergoing rehabilitation. Masa collapsed after receiving a 'body check' from Cho Hyun on the back regardless of the ball during stoppage time in the second half of the Ulsan match, and diagnosis showed a spinal process fracture, meaning he will be unable to play for about a month. Jeong Jae-hee wished his teammate a speedy recovery, saying, "We'll win all four remaining matches, so get good treatment and come back well."
[Photo] Korea Professional Football League (KPFL), Masa social media.
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