The phrase 'Get it together, Seoul' has already emerged at home.

FC Seoul suffered a 1-3 defeat against Jeju United at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 31st in the Hana Bank K League 1 2025 Round 17. With this defeat, Seoul's recent unbeaten streak of three matches (1-0 victory against Daegu, 1-1 draw against Suwon FC, 1-0 victory against Gimcheon) came to an end, leaving them with 22 points (5 wins, 7 draws, 5 losses). Meanwhile, Jeju stepped up its pursuit with 19 points (5 wins, 4 draws, 8 losses).

From Seoul's perspective, the game revealed all the underlying issues. Enduring the worst scoring drought of the season, Seoul struggled with scoring even during their recent unbeaten run of three matches. On this day, they suffered a comprehensive defeat against Jeju (21 goals conceded in 16 matches), which had been showing poor form.

The flow of the match saw Seoul in control while Jeju countered. With a two-top front line, Seoul launched its attacks, while Jeju's Nam Tae-hee moved wide in a free-role, countering back. Both teams struggled to create meaningful goal opportunities due to their somewhat stagnant attack.

In the 23rd minute of the first half, Yoo In-soo netted the opening goal. He calmly finished to deceive Seoul defenders in a chaotic situation in front of the goal, embarrassing goalkeeper Kang Hyun-moo. Seoul felt regret over the failure of Yazan's line-breaking attempt. Ultimately, after Video Assistant Review (VAR), the original decision stood, giving Jeju a 1-0 lead.

Immediately at the start of the second half, Seoul made a risky move. They strengthened their formation by bringing in Moon Seon-min for defensive midfielder Ryu Jae-mun. However, after Moon Seon-min's introduction, Seoul conceded another unexpected goal. In the 5th minute of the second half, during a blocked attack, Jeju tore through Seoul's midfield led by Nam Tae-hee. Then, Nam Tae-hee's heel pass found Lee Chang-min, who struck and pierced the goal, increasing the score to 2-0.

With the score widening to 0-2, Seoul urgently launched an all-out offensive. In the 15th minute of the second half, Dukes had a one-on-one chance with the goalkeeper but failed to connect with a proper shot. Moon Seon-min struck towards an open goal from a rebound, but a Jeju defender cleared it with their head, eliciting gasps from Seoul fans.

It was a game that simply did not go Seoul's way. In the 22nd minute of the second half, they conceded another avoidable goal. After turning over possession, Seoul failed to stop Jeju’s advance. In a one-on-one situation in front of the goal, Kang Hyun-moo fell over after tangling with Yoo In-soo, allowing Yoo to effortlessly increase the scoreline with his second goal.

Seoul did not crumble entirely. They managed to score a consolation goal in the 25th minute of the second half. Lucas evaded an opposing defender on the wing and delivered an early cross. Yazan connected with a well-timed header, successfully scoring. Following the goal, Yazan collided with Jeju goalkeeper Kim Dong-jun over the ball ownership.

Jeju faced a setback. In the 32nd minute of the second half, goalkeeper Kim Dong-jun collapsed and could not return to the match, leading to the substitution of Min Chan-ki. Amidst the chaos, in the 35th minute of the second half, Lim Chae-min committed a reckless foul on Jung Seung-won, momentarily halting the game. Seoul bombarded Jeju but failed to score another goal. The match concluded with a 1-3 defeat for Seoul.

Seoul put on an inexplicable performance against the lower-ranked Jeju. Notably, their passive demeanor in attack and lack of concentration in defense were pronounced. Especially in the buildup to the second goal, the misunderstanding between the defense and the goalkeeper led to a missed opportunity to block it, causing Seoul fans to chant 'Get it together, Seoul' to express their frustration.

As the third goal against Seoul was recorded, which rendered the fans' chants meaningless, they could only respond in disbelief as if they were statues. Although they passionately supported after Yazan's consolation goal, Seoul ultimately struggled to register further goals and continued their disappointing season.

[OSEN]