Jeonbuk Hyundai vice-captain Kim Jin-soo (31) led Jeonbuk to the Final A.
Jeonbuk won 2-0 in the 33rd round of the final regular season match of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at Seoul World Cup Stadium on March 8, thanks to goals from Han Gyo-won and Gustavo.
With the win, Jeonbuk jumped from seventh to fourth place with 49 points (14 W, 7 D, 12 L), dramatically qualifying for the Final A. Seoul, on the other hand, drew 2-2. Seoul, on the other hand, would have qualified for Final A with a draw, but dropped from fifth to seventh place and headed to Final B after dropping the game at home.
Seoul rattled the net first, but had to settle for a late penalty. In first-half stoppage time, Ilyuchenko stabbed a forward pass that fell to Na Sang-ho, who darted in behind the defense. Nasangho immediately shot nonstop and rattled the net. Seoul players celebrated the goal, but the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled that Na Sang-ho was offside.
Jeonbuk, who were down in the first half, fought back in the second half and it paid off with the first goal. In the 15th minute of the second half, Ahn Hyun-beom, who was on the left flank, passed to Lee Jun-ho, who drove into the space behind the defense. Lee Jun-ho passed a ground ball to the center, and the ball hit Na Sang-ho, who was defending, and flowed to Han Gyo-won. Han Gyo-won slid it in to finish.
Gaining momentum, Jeonbuk scored another goal. It was a fantastic header by substitute Gustavo. In the 30th minute of the second half, Ahn Hyun-beom sent a cross from the left side of the box that Gustavo headed into the back of the net.
Jeonbuk’s vice-captain Kim Jin-soo started on the left flank and played the entire game, helping Jeonbuk keep the clean sheet. Jeonbuk was outplayed in the first half, conceding 10 shots on goal to Seoul’s 10 in the first half alone, but in the second half, the team used its solid defense as a foundation to take the lead and come from behind. Jeonbuk, which needed a win to advance to Final A, shook off the threat of going to Final B for the first time since its inception.
After the game, Kim Jin-soo’s expression was relaxed when we met in the joint press area (mix zone). “I’m glad we won. The players also thought it was a crisis, but they saw hope in the last away win.”
In addition to his solid defense, Kim Jin-soo made a crucial forward pass to Ahn Hyun-beom that set up the second goal. “Yesterday, when I had a meeting with the coach, he said, ‘The defense must be good first.’ I tried to do what he asked, so I worked hard on defense, and I think my chances came. I was fortunate to have Hyun-beom in front of me because he has a lot of speed.”
Jeonbuk’s immediate goals after their dramatic arrival in the Final A are to win the FA Cup and progress through the group stage of the Asian Champions League (ACL). “Right now, not only me, but all the players are struggling (physically). I’ve been on a plane and I still have a schedule. I have to be called up to the national team tomorrow and play,” he said. “The goal is to go as high as possible. I want to do well in the rest of the FA Cup and the ACL. The FA Cup is the one we want to win. Even if it’s hard now, if we show like we did today, we can win it.”
Jeonbuk sent five players to the Asian Games – Baek Seung-ho, Park Jin-seop, Song Min-kyu, Kim Jung-hoon and Park Jae-yong – and defeated Japan in the final on July 7 to win gold. “After the final yesterday, the players called me, but they didn’t say anything like, ‘Please win today’s game or get on a plane as soon as possible,'” Kim joked. “That doesn’t mean I’m disappointed. I felt that joy five years ago and I know what it’s like. It was the most important thing for their future, and it was an important moment for Korean soccer.”
After suffering a facial injury during a match against El Salvador in June, Kim was called up to the national team about four months later. The team’s goal is to win the Asian Cup in Qatar next January. “I was 22 years old when I played in my first Asian Cup, and now I’m preparing for my third, so I’m older and in the senior class,” Kim said. “The players know the importance of short-term tournaments. Some of the players have experienced Qatar from the last World Cup, others haven’t, but it’s important to take good care of your body. I think I have to take care of myself the most (laughs). When I go to the national team, I tell them to come back and not to get injured.” “The goal is my idol. It will be hard to prepare, but I will play with responsibility because I represent my country,” he emphasized.바카라사이트
Kim Jin-soo, who helped South Korea reach the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has been living in the country for a month, so it will be easy for him to adjust. When asked if he had any advice for his juniors, he said, “Getting used to the weather is the most important thing. Of course, I think the weather in Qatar will be fine in January. In terms of soccer, there are many juniors who are better than me, so I don’t have any advice for them.”