Despite the pain of the playoff’s frustration, Busan’s “captain” Lee Han-do’s class and dignity shone.
Busan I-Park, led by head coach Cho Sung-hwan, drew 0-0 against the Jeonnam Dragons in the semi-playoff of “Hana Bank K League 2 2024” held at Gwangyang Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on the 21st. As a result, fourth-ranked Jeonnam will head to Mokdong, Seoul, where E-Land is waiting, in accordance with the semi-playoff rules that allow the higher-ranked team to go up just by drawing.
The game was the perfect flow of Busan. Since the draw alone was eliminated, Busan pressed Jeonnam by shouting in front of the attack after the start of the first half. In the third minute of the first half, Busan Yuhei fired a right footed shot, but it hit the post. Later, in the eighth minute of the first half, a dizzying foul scene emerged. Jeonnam Kim Yong-hwan hit the elbow of Busan Kim Ryun-sung, and referee Seol Tae-hwan entered the on-field review. Later, he finished with a warning line, but it was a dangerous situation that could lead to his exit.
Busan continued to push ahead with South Jeolla Province. They launched aerial ball attack using tall striker Mlapa and lateral attack using left wingback Kim Ryun-sung, but were blocked by South Jeolla Province’s solid defense wall. In the end, the first half ended without any notable scene. Even after the start of the second half, Busan strongly targeted South Jeolla Province’s goal. South Jeolla Province locked its defense further from four to six backs, and in the 29th minute of the second half, it locked its goal further by excluding Yoon Jae-seok as an offensive player and Kim Jong-pil as a defender.
However, bad news broke out. Striker Kim Jong-min, who replaced Valdivia in the 39th minute of the second half, was sent off directly by hitting his elbow on Lee Han-do in less than 10 seconds. Since then, Busan, which had gained numerical advantage, has sought to target Jeonnam goal by joining forces with Ramas, Peshin, Mlapa, Lee Jun-ho, Lee Dong-soo and Kim Ryun-seong, in turn, but it fell through. Just before the end of the second half, Mlapa futilely missed a cross from Lee Dong-soo’s right side. Eventually, the ending whistle blew, and Jeonnam was headed to the playoffs.
Busan was full of disappointment. The team failed to score even after leading the game, failing to advance to the playoffs. Despite the end of the painful season, Lee Han-do, the “captain” of Busan, played like a red medicine to soothe fans’ bitter feelings. Lee, who entered the stadium as a starting player, firmly took charge of the backside with his cool play and skills amid a fierce competition.
Lee Do-do, who played a role as a link between defense and midfield with the center axis of three backs, showed overwhelming performance in a series of confrontations with Valdivia, Yoon Jae-seok, and Placa, the core of Jeonnam’s offense.
Notably, at 13 minutes in the second half when South Jeolla Province’s counterattacks began to get fiercer, the team displayed stable defense capabilities in a one-on-one situation with Flacca to block off attacks. Since then, the team continued to display stellar performance. At 16 minutes in the second half, the team neutralized South Jeolla Province’s offense with clean tackles that reliably blocked Yoon Jae-seok’s breakthrough. The team also displayed impressive performance in detail. Starting with an 89 percent pass success rate, 22 advance passes, 100 percent ground competition success rate, most successful aerial competition within the team (four times), 100 percent tackle success rate, six times, 카지노사이트 the most clearances within the team (five times), and 20 times of ball acquisition within the team.
In addition, calming the team members in a situation where they could be excited and proceeding with the game in a stable manner was a true captain’s appearance. Although the team tasted the bitterness of frustration in advancing to the playoffs without finding a solution to the attack, Lee Do-han’s class and the dignity of the “captain” were the only comforting things to soothe fans who left all the way to Gwangyang.
Busan coach Cho Sung-hwan said, “It’s the last game of the season, and I think this is not the end, but the beginning for all the members, including myself. I will prepare well so that I don’t leave a regret like today and come back with a better appearance next year,” and added, “I will set up a specific game model and play style.”