The second round robin of the 2026 Hana Bank K League 1 season begins on Children’s Day, Tuesday 5th May, with top-flight matches scheduled throughout the day. Round 12 of the K League 1 season brings together sides level on momentum as Gangwon FC and Pohang Steelers both look to secure a fifth win of the campaign and strengthen their position in the top half. Elsewhere, Daejeon Hana Citizen aim to extend their scoring run and make it three consecutive victories, while Gimcheon Sangmu’s Go Jae-hyeon looks to continue his recent form and deliver a third straight match with a goal contribution.
Match of the Round
Gangwon FC vs. Pohang Steelers, both chasing a fifth win
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Round 12 sees Gangwon (fourth, 16 points) take on Pohang (sixth, 15 points). With just one point separating the two sides, both enter the match on four wins for the season and will be aiming to reach a fifth and strengthen their push towards the top of the table.
Gangwon moved up to fourth with a 1-0 win over Incheon United in Round 11 and continue to apply pressure on third-placed Ulsan HD, trailing by just one point. At the centre of their recent form is Kim Dae-won, who has featured in every match this season, recording four goals and two assists. In the win over Incheon, he scored the decisive goal with a powerful long-range effort. Kim has also been named Round MVP twice and selected in the Best 11 on three occasions, underlining his consistency. Having registered a career-high 12 goals and 13 assists in the 2022 season, there is growing expectation that he could surpass those numbers if he maintains his current form. Gangwon have relied on fluid passing and aggressive pressing this season, and will look to continue that approach in pursuit of consecutive wins.
Pohang claimed a 1-0 win over Ulsan in the East Coast Derby in Round 11, with Cho Sang-hyuk scoring a late winner to seal the result. The victory marked a turning point, lifting Pohang from ninth to sixth in the table. While much of their scoring this season has come through Lee Ho-jae (six goals), Cho’s first goal of the campaign highlighted the potential for more varied attacking contributions. Pohang are currently the only side in the top six with a negative goal difference (-1), meaning greater attacking balance will be key if they are to climb higher.
Gangwon held the advantage in last season’s head-to-head record with three wins and one loss, but Pohang won the first meeting between the two sides this season 1-0. Their second meeting of the campaign will take place on Children’s Day at 4:30 PM at Gangneung High1 Arena.
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Team of the Round
Daejeon Hana Citizen (fifth, 15 points) recorded an emphatic 5-0 win over Gwangju FC in Round 11. Having scored four goals against Ulsan HD in Round 10 and five against Gwangju in Round 11, Daejeon have netted nine goals across their last two matches, highlighting their attacking prowess. They now look to secure a third consecutive win and first home win of the season.
After a slow start to the season, with one win, three draws and three losses in their opening seven matches, Daejeon have responded with three wins and one loss in their last four. Jeong Jae-hee and Diogo Oliveira have been central to that improvement, with Jeong scoring three goals in the last two matches and Diogo contributing two goals and one assist. Joo Min-kyu also opened his account for the season against Gwangju, adding further momentum to the attack.
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Defensively, Daejeon showed improvement by switching from a back four to a back five against Gwangju. The central defensive trio of Kim Min-deok, Kim Bong-soo and Anton Kryvotsyuk provided stability, while Kim Moon-hwan and Lee Myung-jae were active on the flanks. The result was their second clean sheet of the season. With improved balance at both ends of the pitch, Daejeon will look to continue their rise.
Daejeon face Incheon United in Round 12. They will take confidence from their earlier meeting this season, where they recorded a 3-1 win. The two sides meet again on Children’s Day at 4:30 PM at Daejeon World Cup Stadium.
Player of the Round
Gimcheon Sangmu (ninth, 13 points) recorded a 3-2 come-from-behind win over FC Seoul in Round 11, securing consecutive wins for the first time this season. Go Jae-hyeon played a key role, registering an attacking contribution for the second match in a row.
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Go, now in his ninth professional season after debuting with Daegu in 2018, recorded 13 goals and two assists in 2022, followed by nine goals and one assist in 2023, achieving double-digit goal contributions in consecutive seasons. However, he was later deployed in less advanced roles, including wing-back and central midfield, which impacted his attacking output.
After joining Gimcheon last year, Go has regained momentum. He has featured in every match this season, recording four goals and one assist. He provided an assist in Round 10 against Bucheon FC 1995 and scored the opening goal against FC Seoul in Round 11, once again demonstrating his sharpness in the penalty area.
Gimcheon face Ulsan in Round 12. The first meeting between the two sides this season ended in a 0-0 draw. Their second encounter will take place on Children’s Day at 4:30 PM at Gimcheon Sports Complex.
2026 K League 1 Round 12 Fixtures
Tuesday 5th May
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