Jeonbuk draw leaves coach sick as a parrot

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean champions Jeonbuk Motors missed the chance to put more daylight between themselves and the chasing pack after they had to fight back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with visiting Jeonnam Dragons on Sunday. After winning 10 of their opening 12 games, Jeonbuk's march towards a second straight title has hit a speedbump in recent weeks and they have now won just one of their last six. While they still top of the table on 37 points from 18 games, that rough run of form has allowed Suwon to close the gap to seven points, with Pohang a point further back and the Dragons steaming up the table to fourth on 27. Jeonbuk fell behind to a superb individual effort from Mislav Orsic on Sunday, the Croatian weaving his way into the box before delicately chipping the ball past the goalkeeper and backtracking defenders in the 12th minute. Things got worse from the home side eight minutes later when Lee Jong-ho headed home a free kick to put the Dragons up 2-0. With Jeonbuk heading for their second home league defeat in four games, Lee Jae-sung handed them a lifeline in the 79th minute by heading home Leonardo's cross to make it 2-1. Barely a minute later Jeonbuk were level. Leonardo's corner kick was only partially cleared and when the ball fell to Jang Yun-ho at the edge of the box the midfielder fired a fierce shot through a crowded penalty area and into the net. An irate Jeonbuk coach Choi Kang-hee, ticked off at some of the decisions that went against his side, had little time for reporters' questions after the game. "Coaches aren't parrots, I don’t have to have an interview after every game," he was quoted as saying by local media. "I’m also not allowed to talk about the referee. I don't want to talk about this game today.” Suwon were unable to gain any ground on the leaders after being held to a 0-0 draw at FC Seoul on Saturday, while Pohang's 2-1 home win over Gwangju put them clear in third. After a hot start under new coach Yoon Jung-hwan, Ulsan continue to plummet down the K League standings and a 1-0 home loss to fellow strugglers Seongnam saw them slip to 10th. Bottom club Daejeon suffered their 12th loss of the season, going down 2-0 at Incheon, while Busan, second from bottom, lost 3-1 at home to Jeju. (Reporting by Kim Hoo-yeon, writing by Peter Rutherfordl; Editing by Ian Ransom)