There's nothing quite like derby day and a win over your team's rivals. And so with the new season edging closer, a guide to the derbies of K League 2 in 2022.
Nakdong River Derby
K League Matches Played: 42 Gyeongnam FC Wins: 21 Draws: 7 Busan IPark Wins: 14
Goals Scored: Gyeongnam FC 51-48 Busan IPark
Gyeongnam FC play most of their home games in Changwon, the largest city in South Gyeongsang Province, or 'Gyeongnam'. The Nakdong River slices through Gyeongnam on its way to meet the Korea Strait, the sea which connects Korea and Japan. On the opposite side of the Nakdong River from Changwon is the metropolitan city of Busan, hence the name the 'Nakdong River Derby'. The first meeting dates back to April 2006, a 3-2 Busan win. The two would square off every year since until Gyeongnam were relegated to the second tier in 2014. But, a year later and Busan joined them and the rivalry resumed until 2017 when Gyeongnam won promotion again. The old foes then met in the 2019 K League Promotion/Relegation Playoff Final for what was their first meeting in two years. Busan won over the two legs, further intensifying an already heated rivalry.
2022 Fixtures
Round 2, Sunday 27th February - Gyeongnam FC vs Busan IPark
Round 21, Sunday 19th June - Busan IPark vs Gyeongnam FC
Round 26, Saturday 9th July - Gyeongnam FC vs Busan IPark
Round 38, Saturday 10th September - Busan IPark vs Gyeongnam FC
Line 4 Derby
K League Matches Played: 19 Ansan Greeners Wins: 7 Draws: 4 FC Anyang Wins: 8
Goals Scored: Ansan Greeners 21-25 FC Anyang
Both located in Gyeonggi Province, part of the greater capital area, FC Anyang and Ansan Greeners go to battle under the name the 'Line 4 Derby' - one of the newest derbies in K League. It is named after the Seoul Metro line which connects the two cities. One of the most dramatic encounters came in the build-up to the playoffs in the 2019 season when the Green Wolves were on course for a place in the top four for the first time in their short history. Ansan held a 2-1 lead heading into the last 10 minutes against rivals Anyang thanks to a brace from Masatoshi Ishida. But a late Violets fight back, including a 94th-minute winner, dealt Ansan a huge blow. The Green Wolves then went on to fall out of the top four, Anyang made it to the Promotion Final. Anyang have the slight edge with eight wins to Ansan's seven but the two sides won't have to wait long to pick things back up again.
2022 Fixtures
Round 9, Monday 4th April - Ansan Greeners vs FC Anyang
Round 14, Saturday 7th May - FC Anyang vs Ansan Greeners
Round 24, Saturday 2nd June - Ansan Greeners vs FC Anyang
Round 35, Saturday 27th August - FC Anyang vs Ansan Greeners
Chungcheong Derby - Daejeon Hana Citizen vs Chungnam Asan
K League Matches Played: 7
Daejeon Hana Citizen Wins: 3
Draw: 2
Chungnam Asan Wins: 2
Goals Scored: Daejeon Hana Citizen 13-13 Chungnam Asan
Daejeon Hana Citizen and Chungnam Asan make up the Chungcheong Derby, referring to the North and South Chungcheong provinces where Asan is located and which surrounds the metropolitan city of Daejeon. The distance from Yi Sun-sin Stadium in Asan to Daejeon World Cup Stadium is only around 40 miles (67 km) and is a trip that has been made just seven times between the two clubs since Chungnam Asan were officially founded in 2019. Although it is a fairly new derby, and not known for its heated rivalry, it is a fixture that tends to produce goals. In fact, there has been an average of 3.71 goals per game when these two sides meet. Chungnam Asan came out on top of a five-goal thriller in October 2020 in a game that saw both teams trade blows before an 88th-minute Owls winner. The final meeting of 2021 ended with a 4-3 win to Daejeon, Lim Eun-su with a late winner as the Purples marched on towards the playoffs. Daejeon club legend Park Ju-won transferred to Chungnam Asan over the winter and will add a new dimension to this developing derby.
2022 Meetings
Round 11, Monday 18th April - Chungnam Asan vs Daejeon Hana Citizen
Round 20, Monday 13th June - Chungnam Asan vs Daejeon Hana Citizen
Round 32, Sunday 14th August - Daejeon Hana Citizen vs Chungnam Asan
Round 38, Saturday 10th September - Daejeon Hana Citizen vs Chungnam Asan
