The equalizer that fell through due to offside at the match against Ulsan HD was a stimulus to Moon. Moon intends to leave his regret behind and prepare for the next match against Ulsan.
Gwangju midfielder Moon Min-seo dramatically shook the opponent’s net in the extra time of the second half when his team was being dragged 0-1 into the first leg of the “2024 Hana Bank Korea Cup” semifinal against Ulsan at Gwangju Football Stadium on the 21st, but he swallowed the bitterness after being declared offside. Gwangju was eventually defeated by the first winning goal given to Ulsan’s foreign striker Yago.
The scene that Gwangju felt most regretful about was the cancellation of the score by Moon in the 5th minute of extra time in the second half. Moon, who replaced Shin Chang-moo in the 21st minute of the second half and was given a special order, led Gwangju’s offense with his seniors, moving back and forth between the front, side and center.
The decisive chance came to Moon Min-seo with about four minutes left until the end of the game. Asani’s killer pass went through the Ulsan defense and connected to Moon Min-seo, who was on the left side of the penalty.
Born in 2004, Moon displayed calmness. He avoided tackles by defense that were running towards him and aimed at the corner of the goal with his right footed shot. Moon’s shot was deflected off Ulsan’s defense, but was sucked into the goal. Cho Hyun-woo, the national team’s goalkeeper, also had no choice but to make a breakthrough.
However, the referee communicated with the video assistant referee (VOR) for a while, and declared offside soon after. It was determined that Minseo was behind Ulsan’s final defense when Asani attempted to pass. Gwangju Football Stadium, which had been hot for a while when Ulsan’s net was unstable, soon became cold.
If Moon’s score had been recognized, the outcome of the game would have been different. This could have been a big boost to Gwangju, which operated a massive rotation ahead of the first of the three consecutive games against Ulsan, which follows the Korea Cup and the league. It is regrettable that the team will cancel the score.
After the match, Moon said in a calm tone, “I will use this incident as motivation to prepare well for the remaining two games of the three consecutive games.” As he did in the first round match of the Korea Cup semifinal, Moon believed that he would have a good chance once again.
“I watched from outside in the first half. Some of them played for the first time in a long time, and I thought they really prepared well. I also thought they should play so that if they are deployed, they can feel that they are well prepared,” he said. “I feel sorry for the result. I did well as I prepared, but everyone feels sorry that the result was not followed.”
Moon Min-seo’s regret over the result was the same as coach Lee Jung-hyo’s feeling. “It’s sad every time. We can’t surpass the 2 percent that we lacked,” coach Lee Jung-hyo said in a post-match press conference. “The game is fun, but it doesn’t produce results.”
In fact, Gwangju had an equal game with Ulsan, where a large number of its main players started, even though it operated its rotation against Ulsan. Coach Kim Pan-gon also failed to dominate the entire game, and admitted that there were definitely difficult times.
“The game is over anyway. I’m thinking about how I can do better in the next game. It’s not a discouraging atmosphere, and I’m not down at all. Rather, it’s a united atmosphere,” Moon said.
“If we play the next game our way, we will definitely have a lot of good chances. It’s important whether we can make use of that chance or not. In the next game, I want to make use of that chance and bring results,” he said.
The reason why Moon Min-seo can say with confidence was because of Gwangju’s consistency. Gwangju is famous for the team that maintains its stance without shaking no matter what players participate. The first round of the Korea Cup semifinal against Ulsan proved this once again.
Moon Min-seo explained, “Even players who do not play in training think about what we prepare and look for videos so that we can do as we used to do. If these things are repeated, I think players who do not play much can do well without much difference.”
We had to look back on the scene where the score was canceled. “When I got the ball from ASANI, I thought it was not (offside). So I played the ball as it was,” Moon said. “They said they check the situation after scoring a point. I believed it would not be until they confirmed the score. However, I was so disappointed to see the result of offside.”
When asked how the dramatic cancellation of the equalizer was approaching, Moon Min-seo said, “I’m very motivated. This opportunity has passed, so I think there will be a better chance next time,” looking forward to the next game. 먹튀검증
Gwangju will invite Ulsan to its home ground once again in the 28th round of the K League 1 on Saturday. Three days later, the team will play the second round of the semifinals for a ticket to the final of the Korea Cup at Munsu Football Stadium, Ulsan’s home stadium.