It was a finishing touch that erased doubts and question marks.
Daejeon Hana Citizen, led by head coach Hwang Sun-hong, succeeded in staying in the K League 1 this season. Daejeon, which beat Incheon United in the 37th round, confirmed its performance ranking of ninth or higher regardless of the result of one remaining match.
It has been a season with many twists and turns. On May 21, when Lee Min-sung resigned due to poor performance, there was a vacancy in the head coach. The leader who was selected as a firefighter was Hwang.
Reaction was strong. In April, Hwang was eliminated from the quarterfinals at the Olympic qualifying round, which he took the helm of the under-23 national soccer team. Since he failed to participate in the Olympics for the first time in 40 years, most of the public said that it was inappropriate to appoint Hwang. It was a natural reaction. Hwang, who is backed by the halo of the 2002 World Cup Korea-Japan, could hardly be free from criticism that he enjoys excessive privileges.
In addition, Hwang left the club in the middle of the season while leading the team after Daejeon turned into a corporate team. Troubles with high-ranking officials were the main cause, but his performance was not good either. It was natural that there were voices of opposition.
Worse yet, Hwang had poor early performance since taking the helm. He had one win, three draws and four losses in eight matches, failing to produce a turnaround. Even though Hwang recruited a large number of players he wanted, it did not have any effect. His position was inevitably narrowed rapidly.
As time passed, coach Hwang’s experience began to shine. Daejeon, which calmly strengthened its inner room, revived its performance in the second half. It began to accumulate points through organic pressure, rapid airlift conversion, and smart operation.
The difference in the coach’s resourcefulness was also evident in the match against Incheon, which confirmed his stay. Unlike Incheon, which raised the line from the beginning and launched excessive offensive, Daejeon managed it carefully and secured the victory in the early stage with an operation to seek loopholes through rapid counterattacks. 먹튀검증
Since August, Daejeon has recorded seven wins, three draws and two losses in 12 games. With Hwang taking over, the team was out of the bottom and succeeded in staying. The appointment of controversy resulted in a happy ending.
After a tough 2024 season, Hwang is now looking forward to the 2025 season. “This is the beginning. I think we need to advance to the higher level,” Hwang said. “Life is a series of challenges. We have a long way to go. We need to build a team that our fans can understand. We will continue to challenge ourselves. We need to prepare for the next season,” he said, vowing to achieve an even better 2025 season.