“The juniors are doing well. I hope they win!”
Daejeon Hana Citizen drew 3-3 with Ulsan Hyundai in the 15th round of the ‘Hana OneQ K League 1 2023’ at the Ulsan Munsoo World Cup Stadium at 7pm on the 28th. Daejeon remained in fifth place. The stadium was attended by 17,251 spectators.
Despite conceding a dramatic draw, Kim Hyun-woo put in an impressive defensive performance. Kim Hyun-woo is a former Hyundai High School and Ulsan centre-back who played in Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb before returning to Korea on loan to Ulsan last year. He didn’t play well in Ulsan and was transferred to Daejeon. Kim Hyun-woo didn’t play much in the early stages, but he gradually improved his form and took a spot in the defence.
He became more important after Cho Yoo-min went down with an injury. Playing as a right-back, Kim was able to stop Ulsan’s attacks from the flanks and also showed his dominance in aerial battles. He worked well with Lim Eun-soo and Kim Min-duk to stop Ulsan’s attacks. Despite conceding two goals in the second half, Kim’s defence was clearly improved.메이저사이트
“We were winning by two goals, but we conceded, so I’m very disappointed,” said Kim Hyun-woo in the Mix Zone. When asked about his recent form, he said, “I feel like I’m getting better with every game I play. I’m grateful to coach Lee Min-sung for giving me the opportunity.”
For Ulsan native Kim Hyun-woo, playing in a Daejeon jersey at Ulsan’s home stadium may have been especially meaningful. “I didn’t play very well in Ulsan. I wanted to show that ‘I’m doing really well’. I wanted to win so badly. It’s a shame that we drew.”
Jo Yoo-min’s absence is a big blow for Daejeon. Defender Kim Hyun-woo said: “We all know that Cho Yoo-min is a key player for the team. That doesn’t mean the defence will falter without him. We are always preparing, and we share analyses with each other in meetings to prepare. Even if someone other than Cho Yoo-min is out, I don’t think we’ll be able to shake the game.”
He also talked about the difficulty of stopping Martin Adam. “It was very difficult to stop Martin Adam because of his height, and when I was behind him, I couldn’t see the ball, so it was even harder,” said Kim Hyun-woo.
No matter who they face, Daejeon play attacking football with a lot of pressure. There will be pressure on the defence to cover a lot of space. Kim Hyun-woo said, “Our defence is not very tall, but we have good covering ability. So I don’t feel any pressure to play attacking football, and I feel comfortable with it. It’s a risk to open up space in the back. We are playing our own football.”
In the post-match press conference, Lee Min-sung said, “We haven’t made a breakthrough. Daejeon’s goal is to stay up.” Considering Daejeon’s current form and ranking, it’s a statement that makes you scratch your head. Kim Hyun-woo said, “I don’t know the team’s goal, but we play eagerly every game. It’s all about preparing for every game. We’re preparing for game one, game one, so we don’t care if we stay in the competition or not.”
Kim Eun-joong’s U-20 team is competing at the U-20 World Cup in Argentina. Kim Hyun-woo, who was a member of the runner-up Shinhwa four years ago, said, “I can’t watch it live, but I watch the highlights, and I feel good because the juniors are doing so well. We’ve qualified for the round of 16, but I hope we can go higher. Looking back at four years ago, I prepared for every match with great enthusiasm and that led to the final. Unfortunately, we finished as runners-up, but we hope to win the title this time.”
Photo by Shin Dong-hoon, Interfootball, Korea Professional Football Association, Korea Football Association
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