Gangwon FC manager Yoon Jeong-hwan, who ended his winning streak with four consecutive wins, cited conditions at the ground in Gangneung and other Seoul as the reason for his loss. He also cited Seoul’s failure to withstand the pressure from Seoul as the reason for his loss.
Gangwon lost 0-2 to FC Seoul in an away match in the 28th round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday. It sought its second five-game winning streak this season, but ended its four-game winning streak.
Gangwon was dragged from the beginning of the first half and allowed two goals in the first half alone, and lost.
In the 31st minute of the first half, Lee Seung-mo’s powerful right foot shot, which received Kang Joo-hyuk’s pass, went ahead with the goal. In less than 10 minutes, Seoul launched a counterattack in Gangwon’s corner kick situation, and Choi Joon gave it to Jesse Lingard on the other side. Lingard’s left-footed shot reached goalkeeper Lee Kwang-yeon’s hand, but it was not enough to block the shot.
The team failed to overcome its nightmare against the Seoul match. As the team lost to the Seoul match on Monday, it had one draw and two losses against the Seoul team in three games this season, and it has not been as good as it has had two draws and three losses in the last five games. The most recent victory should be back to April last year.
Seoul’s away game performance is even worse. He has recorded only four wins and 11 losses in his last 21 matches.
At a press conference after the game, coach Yoon Jung-hwan said, “It was a game that many people were interested in today, but we prepared a lot, but there were a lot of parts that didn’t allow Seoul’s pressure in the first half. I had difficulty in solving the game. If I hadn’t lost a point, I could have made a change in the second half, but as I lost a point, the players seemed to be overwhelmed by the atmosphere.”
“Although we are ranked high, I think we lack a lot. I think the players must have felt a lot. Taking today’s game as a lesson, I think we should do our best to show good performance in the next game,” he said, vowing to rebound in the next game.
He cited adaptation to the ground as the biggest reason for the sluggishness.
“I don’t think it was easy because my adjustment to the ground was much different from that of Gangneung. I think I was different from Seoul in minor areas such as strong opponent, ball control, and control of strength and weakness of passes. After making one or two mistakes, (players) seem to become passive. As those things lead to lost points, I think this result has been achieved,” Yoon said.
The team looked better in the first half than in the second. Gangwon only had two shots in the first half, but made an effort to catch up by making nine shots in the second half. However, the team did not end up scoring goals.
Yoon said of the second half, “I had to go out aggressively to catch up. I demanded active defense, and I felt that Seoul prepared very well. The right side, including Yang Min-hyuk, remained undecided from the first half. I am agonizing over what to do when the right side’s offense does not work out. In the second half, I think the players put everything into it.”
Yoon said, “The most vigilant part before the game is the pride of the team. Rather than keeping the opponent team in check, we need to do well.” 스포츠토토
Responding to his complacency, Yoon said, “I was definitely overwhelmed by the Seoul players today. I think it was a game that showed that if we don’t solve this problem, we can’t move forward.”
On the pressure, Yoon said, “It’s simple but difficult. You have to make a play that can beat one player or a one-touch play to drop the opponent. As he was not able to de-pressurize, he was able to see himself under pressure again. I think there was a difference in that,” expressing regret.