CHEONAN (Interstat) — Cheonan City scored three times and held off Ansan Greeners for a 3-1 victory, using goals in each half to build and protect a lead. Cheonan City improved to 2-0 in the competition and 2-0 across all competitions. Ansan Greeners dropped to 1-2 in the competition and 1-2 across all competitions. The result followed Cheonan City’s earlier win against Gyeongnam, while Ansan Greeners had entered after a win at Yongin and a loss at Suwon Samsung Bluewings.

Park Chang-Woo scored for Cheonan City, and Bruno Lamas also scored for the hosts. Lee Joon-Ho had opened the scoring for Cheonan City in the 44th minute. Kim In-Sung scored Ansan Greeners’ goal in the 71st minute, and Willyan provided an assist for Cheonan City during his 33-minute appearance. Cheonan City controlled long stretches and answered after Ansan Greeners pulled within a goal.

Lee Joon-Ho’s 44th-minute goal gave Cheonan City a first-half lead, and Park Chang-Woo doubled the advantage in the 66th minute. Bruno Lamas also scored for Cheonan City as the home side kept control. Kim In-Sung’s 71st-minute goal gave Ansan Greeners brief hope, but Cheonan City answered with enough possession and defensive resistance to close out the match. Willyan’s assist was part of Cheonan City’s attacking effort, and Ansan Greeners could not turn its improved second-half spell into an equalizer. Cheonan City protected its lead after Kim In-Sung’s goal and did not allow Ansan Greeners to complete a comeback.

Ansan Greeners’ Lee Hyo-jun was booked in the 12th minute and was substituted in the 31st. Cheonan City’s Choi Jun-Hyeok received a yellow card in the 79th minute. Cheonan City made substitutions involving Koo J. and Lee Kyu-Min at halftime, and Ansan Greeners made a change involving Marlon at the same interval. Lee Joon-Ho was substituted in the 57th minute, when Ansan Greeners also made changes involving Im Ji-min and Chol M. Cheonan City later made substitutions involving Jeong Ji-hwang and Toungara A., while Ansan Greeners brought in Park Kyu-Min. The substitutions continued in the second half, with both sides making multiple changes as the match moved toward its closing stages.

Cheonan City’s win kept its perfect start intact and left Ansan Greeners still searching for consistency. The hosts got goals from Lee Joon-Ho, Park Chang-Woo and Bruno Lamas, while Ansan Greeners’ only goal came from Kim In-Sung. The match included yellow cards for Lee Hyo-jun and Choi Jun-Hyeok, and a series of second-half substitutions as both teams looked to change the game’s shape. Cheonan City protected its lead after Kim In-Sung’s goal and did not allow Ansan Greeners to complete a comeback. Cheonan City’s defense held firm in the closing stages, and Ansan Greeners’ late changes could not produce a second goal.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cheonan City 2, Ansan Greeners 1, and its ELO system had projected Cheonan City with a 71.3 percent probability to win. Cheonan City had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 4 went under the over-under line of 2.5.