The second round robin of the 2026 Hana Bank K League 1 season kicks off on Children's Day, Tuesday, May 5th, with a full slate of top-flight matches. Round 12 promises high-stakes action as teams jostle for position. Gangwon FC and Pohang Steelers are both hungry for a fifth win to solidify their spots in the top half. Meanwhile, Daejeon Hana Citizen aim to extend their scoring streak and notch a third straight victory, and Gimcheon Sangmu's Go Jae-hyeon looks to keep his hot streak alive with a goal contribution in a third consecutive match.
Gangwon FC vs. Pohang Steelers: A Battle for Fifth Win
Round 12 brings us a thrilling clash between fourth-placed Gangwon FC (16 points) and sixth-placed Pohang Steelers (15 points). With just one point separating them, both teams enter this match with four wins on the season and are determined to reach that all-important fifth victory to boost their title push.
Gangwon climbed to fourth after a gritty 1-0 win over Incheon United in Round 11, putting them just one point behind third-placed Ulsan HD. The engine of their recent success is Kim Dae-won, who has played every match this season, racking up four goals and two assists. Against Incheon, he delivered the decisive strike with a powerful long-range effort. Kim's consistency has earned him Round MVP honors twice and a spot in the Best 11 three times. With a career-high 12 goals and 13 assists in 2022, there's growing buzz that he could shatter those numbers if he keeps this pace. Gangwon's fluid passing and aggressive pressing have been their trademark, and they'll lean on that formula to chase back-to-back wins.
Pohang, meanwhile, roared back with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Ulsan in the East Coast Derby in Round 11, thanks to a late winner from Cho Sang-hyuk. That result was a turning point, lifting Pohang from ninth to sixth in the table. While Lee Ho-jae has been the main scoring threat with six goals, Cho's first goal of the season signals a more diverse attack. Pohang are the only team in the league yet to concede more than one goal in a match this season, underscoring their defensive resilience. This matchup of momentum and ambition is one you won't want to miss.