1-2 home defeat… Gangwon ACL2 result vs. Phnom Penh; coach Jung Kyung-ho: "I feel responsible"

Gangwon FC lost 1-2 at home to Phnom Penh Crown in its ACL2 Group H Matchday 2 game. Gangwon rotated its lineup and has now gone two matches without a win. Coach Jung Kyung-ho acknowledged responsibility after the match.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-line summary

Gangwon FC lost 1-2 at home in Gangneung to Cambodia's Phnom Penh Crown on October 15.
Group H points: Phnom Penh 6, Kitchee 2, Gangwon and Kuching 1 each (as of 04:00 on October 17).
The only draw in the report of "K League 1 draw, 3 losses against Southeast Asian sides" is Gangwon's match against Kitchee. The confirmed record against Southeast Asian sides is 3 matches, 3 losses.

On the night of October 15 in Gangneung, Gangwon FC lost 1-2 at home to Cambodia's Phnom Penh Crown. The match was the Group H Matchday 2 game of the 2026-2027 AFC Champions League Two (ACL2, an Asian club competition one tier below the ACLE). Gangwon fielded a rotated side that left out many key players. Following the 0-0 away draw in September, it has now gone two matches without a win.

Gangwon vs. Phnom Penh result 1-2, the price of choosing rotation

According to AFC official results, Gangwon lost at home in Gangneung to Phnom Penh 1-2. Newsis and Sports Today reported that Gangwon fielded a rotated lineup that day, leaving out many key players. However, rotation alone cannot explain the defeat.

Coach Jung Kyung-ho bowed their head in a postmatch interview the same day. MK Sports reported that, as quoted, "I feel responsibility as coach for not winning." Jung also explained that the domestic league schedule and squad management are difficult. Jung then said, "For now, our first goal is to reach the Final A." Put in one line: that day, Gangwon looked at the league standings before its first win in Asia.

ACL2 Group H points: Phnom Penh 6 vs. Gangwon 1

Each Group H team has played two matches (as of 04:00 on October 17, 2026). Phnom Penh beat Kuching City 2-1 on September 17 and then won at Gangwon too, so they have two wins from two matches. Gangwon's only point came from the 0-0 draw at Kitchee in Hong Kong on September 17. The gap with the leader is already 5 points. Phnom Penh has been coached since 2020 by Ukrainian Olekh Starinsky (40).

Standings (by points)	Team	Points	Notes
1	Phnom Penh Crown	6 points	2 wins
2	Kitchee	2 points	Draws with Gangwon and Kuching City
Tied 3rd	Gangwon FC	1 point	1 draw, 1 loss
Tied 3rd	Kuching City	1 point	Official standing not yet confirmed

Under AFC competition regulation Article 52.6, winning a group match in ACL2 earns a bonus of US$50,000 per match. Gangwon has not received this bonus in either of its two matches. The participation fee is US$300,000 per club, and the winner's prize is US$2.5 million. MK Sports reported Phnom Penh's record as 1 win, 1 draw and 4 points, but the AFC's official record shows 2 wins and 6 points.

K League vs. Southeast Asian sides: '1 draw, 3 losses'? The confirmed record is 3 matches, 3 losses

X Sports News reported on the 17th that K League clubs had managed only '1 draw, 3 losses' against Southeast Asian sides. However, the only draw mentioned in that article is Gangwon's match against Kitchee. The AFC lists Kitchee as a Hong Kong club. If you count only matches against Southeast Asian sides, the record is 3 matches, 3 losses. The competitions also differ: Seoul and Gangwon's losses came in ACL2, while Pohang's came in the ACLE, one tier higher.

Date	Club	Competition	Opponent (country)	Result
September 16	FC Seoul	ACL2	Persib Bandung (Indonesia)	0-1 loss
September 17	Gangwon FC	ACL2	Kitchee (Hong Kong)	0-0 draw
October 13	Pohang Steelers	ACLE	Johor Darul Ta'zim (Malaysia)	0-2 loss
October 15	Gangwon FC	ACL2	Phnom Penh Crown (Cambodia)	1-2 loss

Coach Jung Kyung-ho, age 46; from 238 playing appearances to a 5th-place finish with Gangwon

Jung Kyung-ho was born on May 22, 1980, and is 46 years old this year. The K League playing record is 238 matches, 30 goals, 14 assists, with 41 A-match appearances and 6 goals. After taking over as Gangwon's coach in December 2024, Jung's first season, the 2025 K League 1, ended in 5th place. That is Gangwon's second-highest finish in club history.

Until the official AFC standings confirm it, it has not been determined whether Gangwon or Kuching City is 3rd. Gangwon will receive a US$50,000 bonus for each remaining group match it wins. Earning its first win is the remaining task for Gangwon. Jung's salary and total contract value have not been disclosed.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What was the result of Gangwon's match against Phnom Penh?

Gangwon FC lost 1-2 to Phnom Penh Crown in the ACL2 Group H Matchday 2 game at home in Gangneung on October 15. The Matchday 1 away game against Kitchee ended 0-0. The current record is therefore 1 draw and 1 loss, with 1 point.

Q. How old is coach Jung Kyung-ho?

Born on May 22, 1980, Jung is 46 years old. Jung became Gangwon's coach in December 2024 and signed a one-year contract extension on September 7, 2026.

Q. How much is the ACL2 winner's prize money?

Under AFC competition regulation Article 53, the 2026-2027 ACL2 winner's prize money is US$2.5 million. Participation fees and performance bonuses are separate from this, and 5% of the prize money is allocated to the AFC Dream Asia Foundation.

Related official sites

AFC Champions League Two official website — check group stage results and official standings
K League official website — Gangwon FC's K League 1 standings and news
K League official match schedule and results — check league match schedule

Representative image · Archive photo · Not a photo from the on-site match in this article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Fetx2002), CC BY-SA 3.0