We waited a long time. Giorgi (25) of the Pohang Steelers, a foreign striker, has come back to life. Giorgi had been struggling throughout this season, but he did his best at a critical moment. Pohang, which had been struggling with six consecutive league wins, was deeply moved by Giorgi’s awakening.
Giorgi scored a dramatic winning goal to beat Gangwon FC 2-1 in the 31st round of the “Hana Bank K League 1 2024” at Stillyard in Pohang on the 22nd. He has three goals and one assist in the last four official games. Considering that he had only two goals in 26 games, including the Cup, it is a very welcome scoring streak. With this victory, Pohang has secured at least the sixth place and confirmed the Final A (upper split). At the same time, Giorgi’s performance can be expected in the upcoming Korea Cup final and Asian Champions League (ACL).
Jorge was a foreign striker chosen by Pohang coach Park Tae-ha. Jorge played for the K-League 2 Chungcheongbuk-do Province during the 2023 season. As a rookie team, Jorge did not have strong capabilities. Under unfavorable circumstances, Jorge scored 13 goals in 34 games. He was named the best 11 striker in the K-League 2. As soon as Park Tae-ha, former head of the technical committee of the Korea Professional Football Association, asked the team to recruit Jorge.
The myth that controlling the second division can help the team even in the upper leagues did not apply to Jorge. Jorge seemed to live up to expectations by showing stellar performance in the early days of the season. He rarely scored a goal, but critics said he displayed good performance. Coach Park Tae-ha also consistently sent his trust. He finally reached his limit quickly. K-League 2 was able to attack with only Jorge’s foot skills and speed, but the first part was different. He had to fight against defenders more intensely from the front line. He often showed signs of being pushed back in ball competitions. He even suffered from a sinusitis in August, and suffered from poor condition.
Pohang was waiting for its time. There was no such thing as “special measures.” He silently supported Giorgi so that he could adapt to the first part, overcome and evolve on his own. “The fact that a special person does something can put pressure on the player,” a Pohang official said. “I felt it and worked hard to find a reinforcement exercise. I can’t say that I didn’t have any worries internally, but I came back at a time when it was not too late.”
Giorgi scored his second and first field goal in the 29th round away match in Ulsan on Aug. 31. His team lost 4-5, fading away. On Sept. 13, he scored an assist but lost 1-2. On Sunday, he opened the scoring again at the match against Shanghai Shenhua in the ACL, and Pohang lost 1-4. Giorgi scored an attack point in four consecutive matches by scoring an own goal until the match against Gangwon Province on Sunday. In the match against Gangwon Province, he induced the opponent team’s own goal and scored the finishing goal himself in the added time of the second half when the score was 1-1. He led Pohang to victory with his own strength. Notably, he displayed violent competition with opposing defense in the match against Gangwon Province to protect ownership, proving that his “K-League 1 synchronization” has been completed. 메이저놀이터
Despite the belated feeling, Pohang still has a long way to go. With native Korean spiker Lee Ho-jae out for the season due to injury, Giorgi is the troubleshooter. In addition, the top split is only the first goal, and the score difference between the third place (Gangwon), which is given a berth to the elite players in the ACL, is four points. The final round of the Korea Cup is also left.