(EXPRESS NEWS, Seoul World Cup Stadium) FC Seoul head coach Ahn Ik-soo said time will take care of the absence of Hwang Eui-jo.
Seoul drew 0-0 with Daejeon Hana Citizen in the 20th round of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Monday. Seoul remained third in the league with nine wins, six draws and 33 points, but dropped three points behind fourth-place Jeonbuk Hyundai.
Seoul fielded Ilyuchenko as their frontline striker on the day. He replaced Hwang Eui-jo, who returned to his original club, Nottingham Forest, at the end of 먹튀검증 the month. It was Ilyuchenko’s first start in about two months, since his last appearance against Gangwon FC in April, so he needed to make an impression.
His performance wasn’t bad. He did a good job in the front line, keeping the ball out of the opposition defense and contested passes and spreading it out to the flanks. He also had a couple of shots that sent chills down his spine.
After about 60 minutes on the field, Ilyuchenko was replaced by Park Dong-jin to finish the game. Park worked diligently to create space and even had a chance to shoot, but the goalkeeper was able to make the save.
Hwang’s absence was greatly felt.
Coach Ahn Ik-soo hoped that time would take care of that. In a post-match interview, Ahn said, “It would have been nice to have Hwang Ui-jo. But I think we did our best to minimize that gap, whether it was Ilyuchenko or Park Dong-jin. I have high hopes that it will be better than it is now.”
As for his overall assessment of the match, he said, “It was a match where the fans gave their best support and the players tried to give their best. I think it was a game where we worked hard but didn’t get the result.” “It was a game where both the fans and the players worked hard,” he reflected.
With no goals in the game, Ahn brought on Kim Jin-ya at the start of the second half and sent off Willian to increase the number of attacks.
When Kim returned to the bench, Ahn apologized and gestured to him.
“There wasn’t much time left,” Ahn said, “and I wanted to rely on Willian, who had scored in the previous game. I apologize to Kim Jin-ya. It may be difficult to get him to understand, but it will be a very sorry day.”
As for Lee’s decision to ignore the manner ball and continue playing, he said, “I think it was because I didn’t communicate properly. I ordered him to take the next pressure situation when it was a throw-in, but I think the meaning was misunderstood.” “He’s 19 years old now. I think my enthusiasm to show something in front of the fans was too much,” he said.
“I think today’s mistake can be one of the things that makes you look forward to the future,” he said, consoling himself that he can improve.