Ulsan HD FC (hereinafter referred to as Ulsan) coach Kim Pan-gon (55) did not hide his affection for Gwangju FC (hereinafter referred to as Gwangju FC) coach Lee Jung-hyo.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) held a draw and media day for the semifinals of the 2024 Hana Bank Korea Cup on the second floor of the soccer center in Jongno-gu, Seoul at 3:30 p.m. on the 5th.
Ulsan, which defeated Gyeongnam FC and Incheon United in turn, will compete with Gwangju to advance to the finals. The first game will be held at Gwangju Football Stadium on the 21st (Wednesday), and the second game will be held at Munsu Football Stadium on the 28th (Wednesday).
Ulsan, which has lost to Gwangju twice this season, is sharpening its blade in revenge. The team is committed to staging a fight for revenge through three consecutive games against Gwangju scheduled from May 21-25 (K League 1)-28.
Notably, Kim Pan-gon, who was newly appointed last month, will meet with his great-grandfather Lee Jung-hyo. Kim Pan-gon has coached “player” Lee Jung-hyo as an acting coach and coach of Busan I’Park in the past.
Asked by the announcer about his thoughts on the draw, Kim said, “As you know, it has become a derby between a teacher and a student. (Lee Jung-hyo) was my favorite player as well as a coach of the K-League recently,” adding, “It will be an interesting story. I will make sure to win against Gwangju, an aggressive team, and bring joy to the fans.”
“The soccer that Gwangju has shown for the past two or three seasons is a really good model. If it is a K-League team, it should find trends quickly and systematically, and display excellent performance,” he said. “In that regard, coach Lee Jung-hyo is a courageous coach. Many people are not good at that because they are afraid. It is only possible when there is confidence and confidence. Personally, I like Lee Jung-hyo’s interview in which he lives today without having a tomorrow. “Cool. Since it is about dealing with an aggressive team, I will play aggressive defense. I will have fun,” he said, making people look forward to the upcoming match against Gwangju. 토토사이트
Lee Jung-hyo, who achieved the feat of advancing to the semi-finals at the Korea Cup for the first time in Gwangju’s history, also responded to Kim’s message. “I feel that Kim Pan-gon cares about me a lot and adores me,” Lee said. “When Kim was with the KFA, I watched matches and interviews with Kim when he was the coach of the Malaysian national team. He had a great accident,” Lee said. “I trust (Kim Pan-gon’s) ability. Ulsan will soon be back on track. I also think we need to prepare a lot.”
On the upcoming three-game series against Ulsan, he said, “I have something to say to (Gwangju) players. It was not me or Jeong Ho-yeon who chose the match. Jeju United and Pohang Steelers met first, so I wanted to tell them that it was not my fault,” smiling, adding, “I wanted to play against Ulsan on schedule. It would have been much better if it had been an away match against Ulsan after the away match against Gangwon FC on Wednesday.”