‘Finally pierced, it finally exploded.’
Gangwon FC won the miraculous first win in the ‘Choi Yong-soo Derby’. On the 26th, in the home game against FC Seoul in the 9th round of the ‘Hanawon Q K League 1 2023’ held at the main stadium of Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon, Gangwon won 3-2 with Lee Woong-hee’s ‘theatrical goal’. With this, Gangwon presented home fans with a beastly win of the season after 9 games after 4 draws and 4 losses. Seoul was caught off guard by 11th-placed Gangwon and failed to win its second consecutive win of the season, remaining with 16 points (5 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses).
The match on this day was the so-called ‘Choi Yong-soo derby’. Coach Choi Yong-soo, who led FC Seoul in its heyday as a manager and won Rookie of the Year and MVP as a player. He has been having an awkward meeting with his former team for the second season since he took office as the Gangwon head coach. It was our first face-to-face match this season, and in many ways it was a strange encounter. Last season, Gangwon had a so-called successful year by creating a blast in Final A. On the other hand, Seoul was depressed enough to worry about relegation in Final B.
The 2023 season is the exact opposite so far. While Gangwon was in the lower ranks without a win until the 8th round, Seoul is playing in the upper ranks. If Seoul won that day, it was in a situation where it could be in the pursuit of player Ulsan Hyundai (22 points). In addition, as of the 8th round, Seoul was tied for 2nd place with 16 goals in 8 matches, and Gangwon was the lowest with 3 points.
What about the situation of both teams? Just looking at the value of the name of the participating players, Gangwon was intimidated. Gangwon’s three tops were U-22 Yang Hyeon-jun and Park Sang-hyeok and Kim Dae-woo, who played in the second game of the season. On the other hand, in Seoul, Willian and Ilyuchenko were the two tops, Na Sang-ho (5 goals) tied for first place, Ki Sung-yong and Lim Sang-hyeop Han Chan-hee supported the second line. In an interview before the game, when coach Choi was asked about the opponent’s player of interest, he named Na Sang-ho, Willian, Ilyuchenko, and Lim Sang-hyeop, then sighed and inadvertently said, “Coach Ahn Ik-soo will be happy.” In addition, Seoul operated a rotation to bench Hwang Eui-jo and Palošević because it was a midweek game, but Gangwon was a lineup that squeezed dry dishcloths.
However, this was just an extreme atmosphere outside the stadium before the game. On the ground, Gangwon was intense. Gangwon, who tied the brunt of Seoul’s scoring ability from the beginning, presented a ‘work’ in the 24th minute of the first half. After Yang Hyun-jun broke through the opponent’s side with a breakthrough that excites admiration, he assisted his friend Park Sang-hyuk, who is the same age (21 years old), as the opening goal. Yang Hyeon-Jun, who received a pass from the rear and changed the direction of the out-front one-touch, completely outwitted the opponent’s defense Kwon Wan-gyu, stormed about 70m and penetrated to the door, reminiscent of Son Heung-min’s (Tottenham) ‘Storm Dribble’.
Gangwon added Jeong Seung-yong’s exquisite diagonal shooting goal within 20 seconds of the second half to heat up the atmosphere at the home stadium. However, in the 7th and 23rd minutes of the second half, in the corner kick situation, Im Sang-hyeop scored consecutive goals and seemed to miss the catch.
However,메이저놀이터 when it ends here, it is not a theater victory. In the 1st minute of extra time in the second half, Woonghee Lee scored the winning goal with a miraculous turning shot, raising the fever of ‘Songambeol’ to its peak. Seoul also shook Gangwon’s net in the match before the end of the match, but the goal was not recognized because the attacker committed a foul. This was the reason why Gangwon’s home fans couldn’t stop shouting hot enough to blow away the chilly air.