18-year-old “Super Rookie” midfielder Jin Tae-ho (Jeonbuk Hyundai) wants to present the team with a victory by scoring goals in three consecutive games.
Jeonbuk will play the third Group H match of the 2024-2025 Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) 2 at MBPJ Stadium in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, at 9 p.m. on the 23rd (Korea time).
The Asian Club Champions League will be divided into two competitions starting this season. The competition will consist of the Champions League Elite (ACLE), the top-level competition, and ACL 2, the second-tier competition.
Jeonbuk, which ranked fourth in the K-League 1 in the 2023 season, is participating in the ALC2. ACL 2, in which 32 teams will participate, will be divided into eight groups of four teams, with home-and-away matches (a total of six matches), and the top two teams of each group will play in the round of 16 tournaments.
Jeonbuk is competing in Group H with Selangor, Muangtong United (Thailand), and dynamic hub Cebu FC (Philippines).
Jeonbuk, which is playing both K League 1 and ACL 2, wants to continue its victory in Cebu FC 6-0 in the first round and Muangtong 4-1 in the second round in the third round.
Jeonbuk, which has achieved two consecutive wins, is ranking first in the group with six points. Selangor (one win, one draw, four points) is ranking second. The third place is Muangtong (1 draw, one point), and the fourth place is Cebu FC (two losses, zero points).
If Jeonbuk wins the Selangor away game and records three consecutive wins, it will cross the eighth ridge to the round of 16.
Jeonbuk, which is fighting to escape the relegation zone in the K League 1, will focus on B team players and semi-professional players who will play in the K4 League against Selangor because Jeju United and Pimali have to play an away game on the 27th.
Attention is focusing on whether Jin Tae-ho, who scored one goal and one assist in the first detailed match of the ACL2 and one score in the second match against Muangtong, will taste another goal.
Jin Tae-ho, who was born in 2006, is a member of Yeongsaeng High School, a youth team affiliated with Jeonbuk, and is a special prospect for Jeonbuk, which signed a semi-professional contract in May. Although he has not made his K-League debut yet, he is showing off his presence with a fierce scoring ability in ACL2.
Team B of Jeonbuk, which entered Malaysia on the 20th, held its first unofficial training session for about two hours from 5:30 p.m. on the 21st.
The players warmed up for the first 30 minutes during the training session had sprint and tactical training before participating in practice matches. Coach Kim Doo-hyun repeatedly called out Jin Tae-ho, who has strong sense of tiptoe. He also instructed the players to use both sides. 안전놀이터
After the training session, Jin said, “I want to score another goal. (If I get a chance to play), I will do my best based on my experience in the previous two games. I will trust the experienced players and fight together.”
“He was also a midfielder when he was active. He taught me a lot of things that he experienced in person when he was a player,” he said.
Jeonbuk’s first local training session was held in a serious and friendly atmosphere. Jin Tae-ho said, “There is a strong atmosphere that everyone wants to do together. I feel like I am preparing well for the game.”