Bucheon: Bucheon FC 1995 inched closer to their first promotion to the top division in South Korean football by claiming the opening leg of their key playoff series at home. According to Yonhap News Agency, Bucheon FC beat Suwon FC 1-0 at Bucheon Stadium in Bucheon, some 20 kilometers west of Seoul, in the first leg of their K League promotion-relegation playoffs. Rodrigo Bassani, who led Bucheon with 14 goals this season, netted the match's lone goal in the opening moments of the second half, and Bucheon FC dodged some bullets in the dying seconds to secure the narrow win. The match had been originally scheduled to be played Thursday but was postponed by a day due to heavy snowfall. The weather-related disruption also pushed the second leg by a day from 4:30 p.m. Sunday to 7 p.m. Monday at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, about 30 kilometers south of Seoul. There is no away goals rule in play. If the aggregate score is tied after two matches, then the teams will play a 30-minute extra session Sunday. If they remain deadlocked afterward, they will go to a penalty shootout. The winner of this series will compete in the top-flight K League 1 next year, and the loser will be in the K League 2. After a goalless first half, Bassani broke the ice soon after the restart. A pass from Lee Eui-hyung found its way to Bassani, who had his back to the net. The Brazilian forward then quickly turned and fired a left-footed shot through multiple defenders and beat goalkeeper Ahn Joon-soo. Suwon FC dominated the run of play in the first half and tested Bucheon keeper Kim Hyung-geun several times in the second half, too. Kim's biggest stop came in the 88th minute when he denied Kim Gyeong-min's shot from point-blank range. During stoppage time, Luan's shot off a loose ball struck the outside of the right goal post for Suwon FC's final chance. Suwon FC outshot Bucheon FC 10-5 in the losing cause. Bucheon FC have never been promoted to the K League 1 since they joined the second division in 2013. They had never even played in promotion-r elegation playoffs until Friday night. They finished a franchise-best third this year and then knocked off Seongnam FC in a K League 2 playoff match to reach this stage. Bucheon and Seongnam ended in a goalless draw, but Bucheon, as the higher seed at No. 3, were declared the winner. Suwon FC fell to the playoffs by finishing in 11th place in the K League 1 this year. They have not been in the second division since 2020. They previously won the promotion-relegation playoffs in 2015 and 2023.