It was a week full of surprises across East Asia.
The K League has produced a game with an unexpected scoreline, while in Vietnam and Taiwan, underdogs managed to grab a draw against powerhouses.
K League
The opening of Matchday 6 of the 2020 K League 1 proved why Ulsan Hyundai are the favourites to win the league and why Junior Negrão's name is being mentioned not only in South Korea but all around the globe. Ulsan welcomed emerging Seongnam FC in the Ulsan Munsu Stadium.
The Magpies didn't stood strong against unbeaten Horang-I, but in the end the quality of the strikers made a difference. In the 87th minute, Negrão received a cross from Kim Tae-hwan, comfortably beat two defenders with a finesse touch and struck into the left corner. With seven goals in six matches, Negrão shined and helped his team extend their unbeaten run. 1-0 Ulsan in the final whistle, and another “player of the month” nomination on the horizon for the talented forward.
Another experienced striker was active this weekend, adding another goal to his record with a meaningful celebration. It was Lee Dong-gook again, who secured three points and the top spot of the table for his team, Jeonbuk Hyundai.
Jeonbuk had a tough game against Incheon United who are still looking for a first win. Lee Dong-gook scored from the penalty spot in the 55th minute, celebrated with a token of gratitude to military veterans with a 'salute' celebration. The gesture came in honour of June 6 - the Korean Memorial Day, and the whole team wore a tribute jersey designed explicitly for Memorial Day.
But what attracted all attention was FC Seoul's heavy 0-6 loss against Daegu FC. Cesinha's early goal in the 9th minute, a brace from Kim Dae-won in the 33rd and 51st minute respectively, two own goals, and finally, Dejan Damjanovic's debut strike for Daegu against his former team, all were the nails in the capital club's coffin.
Seoul was missing some of its key players in defence such as Osmar Barba and Hwang Hyun-soo due to injuries, and the game was played at Daegu's home ground. But still, the outcome 0-6 shook the ground under many of the K League fans.
You have to trace back to 1997 to search for the last time game Seoul conceded more than six, and back then, Seoul was not even 'Seoul' yet. The last game was the League Cup encounter against Bucheon SK back in 12.4.1997. Seoul, which was 'Anyang LG' back then, suffered a 1-7 defeat.
On the other hand, it was surely a match to remember for Daegu. Daegu had never scored more than three goals against Seoul before this match. It also could be the revenge for the final game of last season where Daegu only managed to get 0-0 draw and failed to clinch an AFC Champions League spot.
In other matches, struggling Suwon Samsung Bluewings shared crucial one point with Gangwon FC after a 2-2 draw. Pohang Steelers hammered Sangju Sangmu 4-2 in the memorial week, ironically. Gwangju FC beat Busan IPark 3-1 in their captain and one-club man Yeo Reum's 200th K League appearance.
V League
In Vietnam, newly promoted Hong Linh Ha Tinh surprisingly shared points with powerhouse Ha Noi FC, which used to be their parent club until 2018. Vietnamese international Do Hung Dung gave Ha Noi the lead in the 67th minute, but the equalizer followed in the 86th minute from Pham Tuan.
The club was founded in 2015 as Ha Noi FC's B team but was bought by Hong Linh Ha Tinh Football Joint Stock Company last year. Now they are only three points away from their former parent club. The match attracted a high number of spectators, as some reports claimed that the number of fans in the ground exceeded the number of the seats.
In other matches, Da Nang FC hammered QNK Quang Nam 6-1 with a brace from Ismahil Akinade. Other favourites Binh Duong grabbed an easy 5-0 win against Hai Phong. Sai Gon FC climbed to the top of the table by clinching narrow 1-0 victory against Ho Chi Minh City FC, who placed second of the table last season.
TFPL
Taiwan Football League went back to action after a short two-week break. The most interesting result would be Hang Yuen FC and Taipei Red Lions' goalless draw. Before this match, the Red Lions have lost all their seven games this season so far, which means this one point is their first point of the season. It is more meaningful since they've lost heavily to Hang Yuen in the season opener.
In other matches, Taichung FUTURO moved to the top after defeating NTUS 3-2. Taipower beat their long rival Tatung again with Lin Chien-hsun's only goal. Ming Chuan and Taiwan Steel's game was abandoned, leaving 20 minutes to play due to severe weather.
