“You must never let your guard down” It is not a fight against Uzbekistan, Hwang Seon-hongho must win the fight against himself
“The best enemy is within ourselves.”
These are the words spoken by Hwang Seon-hong, coach of the Korean men’s under-24 national soccer team, after winning the quarterfinals of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games against China on the 1st.
Korea will play the semifinals against Uzbekistan in the men’s soccer tournament at 8 p.m. (local time) on the 4th at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China.
Korea, which is aiming for its first three consecutive wins in men’s soccer at the Asian Games following the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang competitions, must overcome Uzbekistan, which is always selected as a powerhouse in its age group.
Hwang Seon-Hong-ho sailed smoothly from the group stage without any major crises. Starting with a 9-0 win over Kuwait in the first game, a 4-0 win over Bahrain in the second game, a 3-0 win over Thailand in the third game, a 5-1 win over Kyrgyzstan in the round of 16, and a 2-0 win over China in the quarterfinals. He had an overwhelming record of 5 wins in 5 matches, 23 points, and -1 conceded.
Although the front line was considered a weak spot for this national team, Park Jae-yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai) and Ahn Jae-jun (Bucheon FC 1995) showed solid performance and scored goals every time they stepped up.
In addition, the resources called the top 2nd line are performing at their best no matter who appears. Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), who is aiming to be the top scorer in the Asian Games, scored 5 goals, and Eom Won-sang (Ulsan Hyundai) and Jo Young-wook (Gimcheon Sangmu) also scored goals. Song Min-gyu (Jeonbuk), who was delayed due to injury, also finished the warm-up by scoring a key goal in the quarterfinals.
Although Korea is in the best mood, coach Hwang Seon-hong and the players are calm. I know that in times like these, I need to play the game more calmly.
This is especially true because coach Hwang Seon-hong experienced this at the 1994 Hiroshima Games in which he participated as a player. Coach Hwang Sun-hong led Korea to the semifinals by showing crazy goal-scoring ability, including scoring 8 goals in the match against Nepal. However, when they met Uzbekistan in the semifinals, they lost 0-1 and failed to advance to the finals. Afterwards, Korea lost to Kuwait in the 3rd and 4th place match and finished the competition with no medals. Even if you score a lot of goals and win, if you lose an important game, everything is lost.
So, coach Hwang Seon-hong said after the quarterfinals, “The best enemy is within us. We need to take a step back and think. “I will take a cautious approach to win the semifinals and advance to the finals,” he said.
Not only this time, but in every interview, coach Hwang Seon-hong always talks about composure and the team’s strengths. Even after the big win in the first game, “It feels good to win big. However, this is an area where we must be cautious. It can easily become poisonous. Tactically, we must praise the players who performed well what we prepared. “I will quickly forget about the results and prepare for the next time,” he said.토토사이트
The players also feel the same way as coach Hwang Seon-hong.
Song Min-gyu also said, “I scored a goal against China, but it’s always disappointing. It may not be visible, but I feel like I’m still lacking a lot because I made mistakes that I shouldn’t have made. We need to grow more. I remember all the mistakes I made. To grow you need to fix it. “We will improve again,” he said.
Park Gyu-hyeon (Dinamo Dresden) said, “For us, every game is a final. “No matter what player or opponent comes, we will play our game without hesitation,” he said.
Five years ago, Korea competed against Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals until overtime. With a hat trick from Hwang Ui-jo (Norwich City) and the winning goal from Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), they barely managed to score 4-3.
A similar fierce battle is expected this time too. The players are not complacent and are calmly preparing for the game. It is impossible to let down your guard.