Shanghai Seaport got a crucial away win in this round of matches, which boosted the team's morale. Looking ahead to the next three rounds of matches, Seaport will have two home matches and one away match, which seems to be a favorable schedule for them overall. Seaport will first face Gwangju at home, then go on the road to face Kobe Victory before returning home to face Yokohama Marinos. Taking three points from each of the two home matches would make Harbor's path to promotion a lot easier, but against the likes of Kobe, Victory and Yokohama Mariners, caution will be needed every step of the way.
Shandong Taishan picked up three points in this round of matches with the advantage of home field, a result that is crucial for the team. Despite a home and two away matches against Kawasaki and Ulsan, as well as an away match against Gwangju, Shandong Taishan are still in good shape. Whether or not they can capitalize on the home meeting with Gwangju, as well as the away match against Ulsan, will be crucial in determining the team's fate.
At the top of the table, Kobe Katsushika are 6 points ahead of 9th place, while Gwangju are leading by 5 points. A win in the next round would almost ensure promotion for them. Even though Buriram United and Pohang Steelers are not in the promotion zone at the moment, the gap between the two and the top is not that big and they still have a chance to make an impact in the future.
November 27th Race Preview
Gwangju FC to face Shanghai Shenhua
The refereeing team for Shanghai Shenhua's away match against Gwangju World Cup Arena was led by Kuwaitis, with Ahmed Ali as the main referee and Abdullah Kandari as the video assistant referee. Gwangju scored a goal in the first half, but it was nullified by a foul. By the 58th minute, Asani opened the scoring for Gwangju with a brilliant overhead kick. Despite Shanghai Shenhua's best efforts, they were unable to break the deadlock and ended the match with a loss.
Yokohama Mariners defeated Pohang Steelers by a score of 2-0.
The match was held at the Yokohama International Complex Arena. Yokohama Mariners were the first to break the deadlock in the 41st minute by Jan Mateusz. Towards the end of the match, Yokohama Mariners were awarded a penalty kick in the 95th+5th minute, which Anderson Lopez took. Meanwhile, Pohang Steelers were also awarded a penalty kick in the 90th+9th minute, but Kim Minjoon's shot failed to change the score.
