FC Seoul head coach Ahn Ik-soo hopes striker Hwang Eui-jo will stay with the club.
Seoul earned a thrilling 1-0 victory over Suwon Samseong in the 19th round of the Hana OneQ K League 2023 Super Match at Suwon World Cup Stadium on Thursday, thanks to a 42nd-minute goal from Willian. The victory marked Seoul’s 101st Super Match. It maintained its 41-win, 25-draw, 35-loss advantage토스카지노.
After the match, head coach Ahn Ik-soo said, “Both teams tried to fulfill the expectations of a Super Match. I think that’s the reason for the existence of the Super Match. We fought for the fans to match the expectations. We are grateful for the victory.” With the three points, Seoul moved into second place in the league with a record of nine wins, five draws and 32 points. They overcame a 1-3-1 slump in their last five games.
Commenting on their opponents, Ahn Ik-soo said, “I think coach Kim Byung-soo made a lot of effort during the A-Match break. The Suwon players also showed signs of trying to give a performance worthy of the team.”
Seoul made a bold substitution on the day. At the start of the second half, they took off Na Sang-ho and Lee Han-beom, who had both started. During the A-Match, Na Sang-ho was called up to the A national team and Lee Han-beom to the U-24 national team. This put a physical strain on them. Coach Ahn Ik-soo said, “There was the tightness of the schedule, playing for the national team, and the environmental differences between the national team and Seoul. There are many factors, but it takes a lot of effort to stay in shape. Lee Han-beom showed that he needs to improve in that area, but I think his dedication to the team and his hard work and effort was a refresher for him to improve in the future.”
“There were many games where we conceded a buzzer-beater goal and didn’t get a point. “It’s about the content, but it’s also about the outcome, and that’s something we need to improve on. We need to be better than we are now, but I’m happy that we stuck to that.”
However, Ahn does have some concerns. It’s likely that Hwang Eui-jo, a key member of the squad and a national team striker, will leave the team after this match. Hwang, who signed a short-term loan deal with Seoul earlier this year, will be looking to return to Europe. After moving to Nottingham Forest (England) last year, he was immediately loaned out to Olympiakos (Greece), but was unable to establish himself and opted to return to the K League. He improved his form while wearing the Seoul jersey. Hwang’s contract runs until the 30th of this month.
Ahn Iksu secretly wanted Hwang Ui-jo to stay. Hwang has four goals and two assists in 18 league games. Seoul had gone 1-3-1 in their last five games, but Hwang’s back-to-back goals saved the day. He also played the full match in the Super Match, helping his team to victory. Coach Ahn Ik-soo, who has a long-standing relationship with Hwang Ui-jo, said, “I met him at a young age when he was 21, and then I met him again more than 10 years later. He was so cool,” he said, “but I don’t think that coolness can only be found in Seoul. It doesn’t work anywhere else. I hope you can make decisions based on that,” he said with a laugh.
Coach Ahn Ik-soo continued, “Hwang Ui-jo is a player with a good look and a good mind. He was an energizer who could energize not only Seoul fans but also Korean soccer fans through good performances and give them a sense of happiness for being tired of everyday life. I was proud of Hwang. I’m grateful for that,” he said.
Finally, head coach Ahn Ik-soo didn’t say goodbye. Instead, he said, “I don’t think Hwang will go to another team. I will tell you again after carefully considering other things,” he said in another ‘residual message’.