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| Jeonbuk Hyundai's Brazilian striker Gustavo Henrique da Silva Sousa celebrates after scoring his K League 1 debut goal against FC Seoul at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium, July 26. / Courtesy of K League |
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Jeonbuk Hyundai has been one of the most dominant football powerhouses not only in Korea but also in Asia for the past couple of years. The team has won Korea's top-tier football league five times since 2014. The club also won the AFC Champions League in 2016.
Jeonbuk's K League reign, however, seemed to reach the tipping point last year since it only managed to clinch the league title in the last round due to rival Ulsan Hyundai's last-round defeat against Pohang Steelers.
The succession seems evident this season. Thanks to acquiring a number of high-profile players, including ex-English Premier League winger Lee Chung-yong and South Korea's national team goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo during the offseason, Ulsan is maintaining the first place in the K League with 11 wins and two draws. It lost only one game so far.
Cornering one third of the season's 33-round schedule, in the meantime, Jeonbuk had difficulty maintaining consistency in its performance, especially in its forward line. The defending champion scored only 23 goals in the 14 games it has played so far. Even fifth-place Pohang has scored 27 goals so far.
In a bid to improve its offensive line, Jeonbuk announced last month it had signed two high-profile foreign players ― former Premier League player Modou Barrow and Brazilian striker Gustavo Henrique da Silva Sousa.
The club allegedly spent more than 5 billion won ($4.18 million) to acquire them, but the impact of the two newcomers was immediately apparent.
In the K League's 13th-round match between Jeonbuk and FC Seoul, Gustavo Henrique da Silva Sousa, or simply Gustavo, scored his league debut goal while Barrow successfully flanked Seoul's defense line. Jeonbuk beat Seoul 3-0.
The two also played the FA Cup quarter final match against Busan IPark last Wednesday. Of them, Gustavo, who came on in the 62nd minute, scored a hat trick in 9 minutes. The club won the away game 5-1.
Barrow also proved his quality during the K League's 14th-round match against Pohang. The Gambian winger came on in the pitch shortly after the team conceded the opening goal in the 54th minute.
In the 60th minute, Barrow salvaged the team by delivering a pinpoint cross to help Son Jun-ho's header goal. Gustavo also assisted Kim Bo-kyung's game-winning goal in the 69th minute. Jeonbuk won the game 2-1.
"Jeonbuk has made utmost efforts to acquire Borrow since January. His quality has been proved. He played with Ki Sung-yueng in Swansea City several years ago. He performed well with other clubs as well," football columnist Han Joon said.
"Currently, Jeonbuk is the second place in the league. With barrow and Gustavo, Jeonbuk displayed its ambition that it aims not only for the K League 1 but also the AFC Champions League title."
