BUSAN (Interstat) — Gabriel Honorio scored twice as Busan defeated Gyeongnam 3-1 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on Sunday, giving the home side a competition victory after an early two-goal lead and a second-half response from the visitors.

Busan opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Honorio found the net. The home side doubled its advantage in the 22nd minute through Ahn Hyun-Beom, and Busan carried a two-goal lead into halftime. Gyeongnam came out after the break and pulled one back in the 50th minute when Cho Jin-Hyuk scored, cutting the deficit to one. The visitors could not build on that goal. Honorio answered in the 78th minute with his second goal of the match, restoring Busan’s two-goal cushion and closing out the scoring. That second Honorio goal was the decisive moment of the match. It came after Gyeongnam had reduced the score to 2-1 and was pressing for an equalizer. Busan then managed the remaining minutes with the two-goal lead. The goal sequence gave Busan a lead it never surrendered after the 16th minute, and the home side finished with the three-goal total.

Honorio finished with two goals in 82 minutes. Ahn had one goal and one assist in 46 minutes. Cho scored in 64 minutes for Gyeongnam. Ahn’s assist added to his goal, while Cho’s goal was Gyeongnam’s only score of the match. The match produced six yellow cards. Gyeongnam’s Kim Jung-Hyeon was booked in the 26th minute, Kim Hyeon-oh in the 34th minute and Cho Sang-Jun in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time. Busan’s Kim Hyun-Min was cautioned in the 48th minute and Xavier in the 51st minute. Gyeongnam’s Lee Chan-Dong was booked in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time. The bookings came in a match that grew more physical as the teams traded fouls and stoppages.

Both teams made substitutions throughout the second half. Gyeongnam made a change in the 46th minute involving Lee Ki-Hyun, and Busan substituted Ahn at the same point. Gyeongnam then substituted Cho Jin-Hyuk and Cho Sang-Jun in the 64th minute. Busan made a double change in the 77th minute involving Son J. and Xavier. Busan also substituted Honorio in the 82nd minute and brought on Kim Se-Hoon at the same time. Gyeongnam made a change in the 83rd minute involving Kim Jung-Hyeon, then made two more changes in the 89th minute involving Kim Hyeong-Won and Kim Ha-min. Busan completed its listed changes in the 90th minute with Kim J. All listed substitutions were used by the end of regulation. The substitutions affected the closing stages but did not change the final result.

The result left Gyeongnam’s record in the competition at no wins, two losses and one draw. Its record across all competitions is identical. Busan’s competition record is now two wins, no losses and one draw, and its record across all competitions also stands at two wins, no losses and one draw. Gyeongnam entered the match after a scoreless draw with Asan and a one-goal loss at Cheonan City. Busan entered after a one-goal home win over Jeonnam and a draw at Paju Frontier. Busan remained unbeaten in the competition, while Gyeongnam remained without a win in the competition and across all competitions. Those records apply to both the competition and all competitions.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Busan 1, Gyeongnam 1. Interstat’s ELO system gave Busan a 70.5 percent probability to win, and Busan was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 0.5. The total score of four went under the over/under line of 2.5.