Son Joon-ho (32, Suwon FC) was the main character of the “reversal drama.” Suwon FC caught Ulsan HD, the “big fish” in the away game.
Suwon FC defeated Ulsan FC 2-1 in the 27th round of “Hana Bank K League 1 2024” held at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Wednesday. It was a sloping field. Suwon FC manager Kim Eun-joong, who lost consecutive games, looked deeply saddened. He once ranked fourth. However, his team was shaken to advance to the round of 6 as Lee Seung-woo and Kwon Kyung-won, the star players of offense and defense, left.
Ahead of the showdown, Kim Eun-joong said, “The most regrettable thing is that our players came all the way here with really good performances. This is something we cannot resolve. The bottom teams won yesterday, and it is a difference of desperation. We put everything into one game. The players are doing their best. We will do our best as we prepared.”
Ulsan HD coach Kim Pan-gon, on the other hand, showed light steps as he secured victory in his debut match. He also had a chance to regain No. 1 ranking. “Seven players have changed compared to the last game. We have to give fans the same joy no matter who plays in the ground,” Kim said. “Today’s game is worth everything we can. We have to play hard, saying that we are qualified to win the championship. We have to increase our chances of winning as much as possible.”
However, Joo’s exit at 39 minutes in the first half was crucial. In a war of nerves with Lee Jae-won of Suwon FC, Joo received a red card for “revengeous elbow price.” The referee took out a yellow card, but the color changed after VAR (video reading) on-field review. It was an obvious red card. It was Joo’s first direct exit as a pro.
Suwon FC tapped 10 Ulsan players and Son Jun-ho opened the door. He scored with a right-footed mid-range shot in the 42nd minute. Kang responded with a right-footed shot to the ball that Kang Sang-yoon gave. The ball that left his foot crossed Cho’s height after being deflected off Ulsan Kim Min-joon.
It was Son Jun-ho’s first comeback goal in 1,400 days in K League 1. It was Masugol’s goal after wearing Suwon FC’s uniform. He said, “The bottom teams won all of yesterday’s game. It was an important game today, and I think it will help us prepare for the next game by taking three points away from home. I think we will have an advantage in order for the team to be at the top.”
He came a long way back. Soon after the match between Shandong Taishan and Chengdu on May 10, 2014, he was detained by Chinese police. Suwon FC held his hand when he returned to Korea on March 25. Son returned to the ground on June 22, a year and a month later. The K League 1 came back after a three-year and seven-month hiatus since the match against Daegu on Nov. 1, 2020, during the Jeonbuk Hyundai era.
Son finally scored a goal on the day, 10 games after his return. The last time Son shook the net in the K-League was against Gwangju on Oct. 18, 2020. It was a tearful display that broke out exactly 1,400 days later.
Son Jun-ho said, “I thought I should hit a shot when it spilled. I pointed out how the coach cherished the shooting. Strong orders from the coach helped me score a goal,” adding, “I felt the goal when I saw the trajectory of the ball. I felt good just like when I scored my debut goal when I was a rookie. While preparing for today’s game, I saw over and over again that I beat Ulsan 1-0 when I was in Jeonbuk in 2020. I played with the thought that it was the last time.”
It was a special goal. When asked again how he felt, he said, “I don’t want to talk about what happened. I thought such a day would come. I thought that a good day would come. I feel like I am going step by step. I am grateful for every little thing,” he said. “I am preparing well because I can fill the void of time by showing them inside the stadium. The biggest thing is that I am grateful to be able to show my family how I play soccer. I am doing my best to make my daughter and son proud of me as father and husband.”
Suwon FC coach Kim Eun-joong also felt differently. 메이저사이트 “When Jun-ho joined the team, he had so much experience that there was no awkwardness at all. He prepared a lot. I was grateful for his good senior role as well as individual training. So far, I have not been able to play games. I told my juniors that I am happy to play the game itself. It was shown as a positive effect,” he said. “Thank you for scoring a goal when it’s important. We don’t have traditional strikers. Midfielders have to score goals, but we will continue this part as well.”