So far, the term “Asia’s best” is just right. Gwangju FC coach Lee Jung-hyo, who became a professional coach just two years ago, is proving his value on the Asian stage.
Gwangju, led by head coach Lee Jung-hyo, beat Johor Darlle Takjim of Malaysia 3-1 in the third leg of the 2024-25 AFC Champions League Elite League stage on the 22nd. ACLE won three consecutive games.
Gwangju became the only team among the 12 teams in East Asia to secure its No. 1 position by winning all three games. It gave Johor, who is proud of his country’s strongest team, its first loss. Prior to this match, Johor had no loss in the opening 11 matches (10 wins and 1 draw) and no loss in two matches (one win and 1 draw) of ACLE.
Ironically, Gwangju, which made ACLE sensation, was ranked as the Final B (7th to 12th) in the K-League. “Players seem to be interested in (ACLE counterparts) playing soccer together. Asian teams have yet to analyze Gwangju FC in some areas,” coach Lee Jung-hyo said ahead of the match.
Since taking the helm of Gwangju two years ago, Lee has implanted offensive soccer based on passes and pressure. Gwangju players, who are mostly unknown, have grown up through the system created by Lee, and ranked third last year when they were promoted to the K League 1. Lee’s emergence was a sensation with strong pressure, constant movement, and attack work to make passes.
This year, many K-League teams hunkered down and aimed for a wide back space rather than counterattack by knowing Gwangju’s potential. On the other hand, Asian teams that are playing against Gwangju for the first time chose to advance and fight rather than customized tactics. This is why Lee Jung-hyo and Gwangju players were able to play more excitedly on the ACLE stage.
Players who enjoyed performing in Asia for the first time since their foundation led to a great performance. Global sports media ESPN also paid attention to Gwangju Football. ESPN previously described Lee Jung-hyo as “Korea’s Mourinho.” He focused on soccer’s attractive colors and bold speech.
Gabriel Tan, an ESPN reporter who covered the story, covered the match between Gwangju and Johor. This reporter asked how ESPN knew about the existence of coach Lee Jung-hyo and why they shed light on him. On the day, Gwangju scored multiple goals six minutes after the start of the match, taking the lead by two points. During the match, he had a conversation with Gabriel about Gwangju.
Gabriel, who is covering Asian soccer with ESPN, said through this newspaper, “I think (the reason why I covered the Gwangju article) is because I think it deserves it. Gwangju is a new team compared to Ulsan HD, Jeonbuk Hyundai, and Suwon Samsung, and is doing really well in ACLE. I think it deserves attention. Although not as much as last year, I think we are still performing well in the K-League this season,” adding, “ACLE is the biggest stage in Asia, and it is a good story for everyone to pay attention to that we are doing so well.”
Gabriel, who covered a long article in Gwangju referring to Korean reports, was also fascinated by Gwangju’s tactical aspects.
“For sure, there was something that stood out on TV. I watched the game for about 30 minutes, and I can see that it’s definitely a modern way, with the center back moving to the side and the full back coming in,” he said. “It’s hard to say that in Korea, but Asian soccer still uses a little traditional style. As you know, in Southeast Asia, we generally use a 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 formation. However, it is a modern way of thinking that a full-back becomes another central midfielder like Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, and we often see Gwangju doing that.” 안전놀이터
Coach Lee Jung-hyo, who first became a professional head coach when he took the helm of Gwangju, which belongs to the K League 2 in the 2022 season, has been reborn as a figure that Asia is paying attention to beyond Korea. He is a “dirt spoon” who has become a professional coach after serving as a coach on the college stage and several teams in the K League for a long time, but now he is shining more than anyone else.