Seoul’s “local boy” Cho Young-wook (FC Seoul) expected a derby match against FC Anyang next season.
Seoul tied the match 1-1 at home in the 36th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday. Kang Sang-woo’s first goal scored in the 32nd minute of the first half, but immediately gave up a run to Wandelson. Since then, the team has had bad luck as it was blocked by the goalpost.
Seoul, which added one more point, maintained its fourth position with 15 wins, nine draws and 12 losses and 54 points. At the same time, Gimcheon Sangmu defeated Suwon FC 1-0, widening the gap to six points. Pohang also maintained its fifth position with 53 points (14 wins, 11 draws and 11 losses). The competition will continue with a one-point gap between the two teams to qualify for the ACL.
It was Seoul that led first. In the 33rd minute of the first half, Cho Young-wook’s cross flowed backward after hitting the defense, and Lucas gave it to the left. Kang Sang-woo played a ball with Wandelson near the goal line on the left side of the box, and hit the shot after winning the ball. Goalkeeper Yoon Pyeong-guk blocked it once, but Kang Sang-woo pushed the ball back to shake the net.
However, the lead did not last long. Pohang immediately followed suit. At the 37th minute in the first half, he caught the ball that Seoul had cleared and connected it to the back for a long time, and Wandelson chest-trapped the ball that Jeon Min-kwang dropped with his head inside the box and pushed it into the corner with his right foot. He checked if the ball was fouled on handball, but the score was recognized as no problem.
Since then, the two teams have engaged in a fierce battle, but no goal has been scored. It was regrettable that Kim Joo-sung’s header hit the post midway through the second half and Lingard’s mid-range shot floated above the post at the end of the second half. With this draw, Seoul failed to gain a clear advantage in the competition to advance to the ACL.
“I wish I had won, but it was a tie,” Cho told reporters after the game at the mixed zone. “I want to finish the game well by catching Ulsan in the next game.”
Cho Young-wook has not scored in three months since his away trip to Pohang in August. Before the game, head coach Kim Ki-dong said he only held Cho Young-wook’s hand lightly so as not to put pressure on him.
In response, Cho Young-wook said, “I played too much defense than offense. I also paid a little attention to the defense,” adding, “I think the coach saved my memory from the away game in Pohang and put it on the right first, but I’m personally disappointed because I played too much defense today.”
At the same time, he added, “I think it helped the team to some extent. I’m going to think so that I can show better performances next time.”
Cho Young-wook, who played as a right winger, faced Lee Tae-seok from Seoul, who moved to Pohang last summer, throughout the game. 안전놀이터
Cho Young-wook, who said, “He worked very hard,” said, “Of course, I felt that he was working hard because his mindset changed when he met his old team,” and added, “We talked a lot about each other, ‘Stop running, go easy, stop catching the ball.”
Before the match, FC Anyang confirmed its league championship in K League 2 and asked if it would be promoted to K League 1 Direct. It is expected that fans will pay attention to the rivalry with Seoul next season.
“I think there’s another game that fans like,” said Cho Young-wook, who is also from Seoul’s local boy. “I don’t know what Suwon Samsung will be like yet, but I think it’ll be another game like that from the Super Match,” he said. “I don’t think it’ll be a big game because our league is not over yet, but I think it’ll be an interesting game next year.”