Daegu coach Choi Won-kwon said, "First 3 consecutive wins X 4th place, I'm proud of my players X fans ""I gained strength to endure Final A."
Choi Won-kwon, head coach of Daegu FC, ranked fourth in the K League 1, thanked the players after a thrilling theater win and the first three consecutive wins of the season.
Daegu won 1-0 thanks to Vascellus' theater goal in the second half of the extra time amid a 10-11 numerical inferiority in the 30th round of the 2023 Hana One-Q K League 1 at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 4:30 p.m. on the 17th.
With only four games left before the split round, including the match, each game is a thin ice match for middle and upper teams except for "second-tier" Ulsan and Pohang. On the same day, third-place Gwangju beat fourth-place Seoul 1-0 with 48 points, while Incheon took Jeju (35 points) the previous day and came in sixth with 43 points, pushing Daegu (41 points) to seventh place. Fourth to sixth place Seoul, Jeonbuk, and Incheon formed a "43-point group" side by side. If Daegu catches the lowest Suwon Samsung, it was a chance to reach a surprise fourth place with 44 points, which would be a watershed for the great war.
While Cesinha failed to play due to a rib fracture and could not find a clue to the attack, Daegu midfielder Beltola, who hit Suwon striker Werik Popo with his elbow in the 10th minute of the second half, received a red card, putting Daegu in crisis.
Daegu did not give up until the end amid the 10-11 numerical inferiority and the cheering waves of Daegu away fans. In the extra time of the second half of 12 minutes, Daegu overwhelmed Suwon with a numerical advantage. And finally, the shot that Vascellus pushed desperately by peeling off Suwon's defense from the side split the net. Daegu wrote a drama. Without Cesinha, he won his first three consecutive games of the season with his tireless fighting spirit in the worst situation of "outfield inferiority." He scored three points in the away game and scored 44 points. After Ulsan, Pohang, and Seoul, it stood tall in fourth place in the league.
In an interview after the game, head coach Choi Won-kwon expressed his gratitude, saying, "I am proud of our players for their fighting spirit until the end." Regarding the impact of three points created by fighting spirit amid numerical inferiority, he replied, "I have gained the power to endure." "It is important for our team to score goals without losing a point. "As I always say, I prefer a 1-0 victory to a 4-3 victory," he said with a smile. The next game is Pohang. Each game is the final to Final A. As our players received the power to hold out through this game, we gained confidence that we can play well against Pohang. It was a big harvest," he said. Below is the full text of Choi Won-kwon's post-match press conference.
-How do you feel about the game
I am proud of our players who showed their fighting spirit to the end with Beltola being sent off. I thought there would be difficulties in playing due to Cesinha's absence, but I thought Edgar and Vacelus' strengths could also be revived. Scores came out, and coaches taking good care of the players during the class in Spain to get a P-class leadership certificate helped them win without changing until the end. I didn't do anything and the players did it.
-Reason for putting Lee Yong-rae except Park Se-jin in the numerical inferiority without Beltola
First of all, it will be a difficult game without one person. Against veteran players such as Ko Seung-beom, Kim Bo-kyung, and Kazuki, I thought (Lee) Yong-rae would be empirically better. If you let him go to the stadium, he'll just trust him. Our coaches have a good grasp of the strengths of the players. It's a team that focuses on blocking well, and that worked well today.
- Meaning of the first three consecutive wins, the impact on the remaining three games until the split league.
I gained the strength to endure. It is important for our team to score goals without losing a point. As I always say, I prefer a 1-0 win to a 4-3 win. The next game is Pohang. Each game is the final to Final A. As our players got the strength to hold out through this game, Pohang is always a team that plays well, but we gained confidence that we can also play well against it. It was a big harvest.
- What did you talk about when you hugged the coach after Vascellus scored a goal.
You had the hardest time. He is a player who always wants to score goals and assist. He hasn't scored in a few games, but he believed it. He came running to me and hugged me. He came and hugged me.(laughs) It must have been confidence that he did something. Vascellus has a very good training attitude. He's really sincere. Train like a second-tier player. I hope you can score consecutive goals from this goal.
- The coaches said they took good care of the players, but what exactly is it.
Our basic play doesn't change. Today, Edgar went in and didn't put forward pressure. Since it was an away game, Suwon seemed to come out aggressively, so I waited and sought a counterattack. Coaches frequently reported while in Spain. It was hard because I called so often even though there was no time difference.(Laughter) When I'm on the playground, the players are nervous, but I think it's more advantageous to be with the coaches and train in a good atmosphere.
- Despite the numerical advantage, Suwon Samsung felt worse than Daegu.
That's the strength of our team. It doesn't just play defense. 70-80% of training time is devoted to defensive tactics. It values individual abilities with simple patterns. Our players defended well by selecting only the advantages of Lee Ki-je, Mulich, and Kazuki. Well blocked what Suwon is good at. It's not that Suwon didn't do well today, but I think we played Daegu soccer much better.
Beltula will fall out.
Jin Yong has been to the national team. I gave you a break, so you'll have a lot of strength. There's also Yongrae. Pohang is the team that plays their soccer no matter which team they meet. I'm going to refine our counterattack. Beltola and Cesinha are missing, but we will find advantages in our resources.
- Why did Daegu play better in extra time amid a 10-to-11 numerical inferiority.
I do a lot of counterattack training. It doesn't matter if it's five minutes or 90 minutes. You have to trust the cells and run. We believe in the cells. What Vascellus dictates is 'talking a lot. The referee gave me an excuse, so I said I didn't like it. I asked him to show me with his actions,' and he scored with his actions. Thank you. Our players did a good job. The result was that he worked really hard in training and worked harder even if there were some shortcomings.
- Choi Young-eun said that desperate players such as Kim Kang-san and Jang Sung-won participated, what was the evaluation? 먹튀검증
You did a great job. There were some concerns, but I wasn't worried at all. I believed it 100%. Hwang Jae-won and Cho Jin-woo did well and failed to send these players to the game, but I don't think these players are insufficient. Our three-backs have suffered a lot, so I plan to use Kim Kang-san often. I will manage the players wisely.
- Vascellus scored really calmly in extra time in the second half.
Maybe the defense came after him in a hurry and hit him in a hurry.(laughs) He's a player with strengths. Trust and let go of the players when they go to the playground. Above all, I think our players would have played until the end thanks to the fans' loud voices and support. I trust all of our players 100%.
