Jeonbuk Hyundai is making a comeback. Jeonbuk won 2-1 with Gustavo’s winning goal in extra time in the second half in the 34th round of ‘Hana One Q K League 1 2023’ against Daegu FC held at DGB Daegu Bank Park on the 21st. Jeonbuk, which added 3 points, had 52 points, chasing 3rd place Gwangju FC (57 points) by 5 points.
On this day, Jeonbuk’s long-awaited Asian Games 5 Musketeers joined. Jeonbuk sent the most players (Baek Seung-ho, Park Jin-seop, Song Min-gyu, Kim Jeong-hoon, and Park Jae-yong) to the Hangzhou Asian Games men’s soccer team. Their gap was huge. With injuries occurring one after another, it was difficult to form a proper best 11. Coach Dan Petrescu also expressed, “No matter how much Manchester City is, there is nothing we can do if five key players leave.”
However, from the perspective of Jeonbuk, which runs the league, FA Cup, and Asian Champions League in parallel, they could not just give up. I had to overcome it. However, neither the performance nor the results were captured. Voices of concern about the Petrescu regime continued. It seemed like the first Final B crash since its founding was approaching. However, Jeonbuk’s winning DNA was activated in the last game of the regular round, and they defeated FC Seoul and barely advanced to Final A.굿모닝토토
Jeonbuk, aiming to regain its pride in the split round, put the leading players of the Asian Games gold medal at the forefront from the first game against Daegu. Song Min-gyu was used in the front line, Baek Seung-ho in midfield, Park Jin-seop in central defense, and Kim Jeong-hoon as goalkeeper. Jeonbuk looked completely different with Asian Games members joining the spine line. Park Jin-seop, who had played as a central midfielder, added stability to the defense from the back, and goalkeeper Kim Jeong-hoon made a fantastic save as if he was shaking off his frustration over not being able to play a single game in the Asian Games. Blocking Kim Jin-hyuk’s shot in extra time in the second half was by far the highlight.
In particular, Baek Seung-ho’s performance shone. Baek Seung-ho, captain of the Hangzhou Asian Games, played a big role in the midfield, making 5 key passes and successfully completing 92.3% of his passes to the offensive line. He also completed four crosses. Jeonbuk, which had relied on Nana Boateng’s long passes, showed a more complete attack with the addition of Baek Seung-ho. Coach Petrescu also gave a thumbs up, saying, “The chance making was good today.”
As they were added to the starting lineup, the weight of the bench members increased significantly, and the team’s competitiveness also seemed to increase. In particular, the team spirit rose noticeably with the win against Seoul. On this day, they did not give up and knocked on the Daegu goal until the end, and eventually won with a last-minute score. Coach Petrescu also expressed satisfaction, saying, “I’m getting close to playing the kind of soccer I want to play.” Jeonbuk, which finally became ‘complete’ with the addition of injured players in addition to Asian Games members, is undoubtedly the biggest variable in the battle for the Final A rankings.