The word that ran through the match between Suwon Samsung and Daejeon Hana Citizen was motivation.
Suwon and Daejeon, who played the 35th round of Hana One Q K League 1 2023 at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 29th, drew 2-2. Suwon ranked 12th in the league (26 points), and Daejeon ranked 8th (47 points).
The atmosphere of the two teams before the game was quite different. While Suwon needed a win to escape the bottom, Daejeon did not have much pressure to perform because they had confirmed their stay in the last game.
Daejeon coach Lee Min-seong also acknowledged this. He met with reporters before the game and was asked if he thought his motivation would be weaker compared to Suwon, and he honestly admitted, saying, “I can’t say that there is no such thing in the current situation.” Although we set goals such as preparing for next season and visiting fans, the likelihood that it will be stronger than the will to stay was not high.
On the other hand, Suwon appeared to be mentally well-armed. Acting Suwon coach Yeom Ki-hoon said, “This week, we put a lot of emphasis on the mental aspect. If we win, the ranking changes. The players clearly knew how important the match against Daejeon was. That’s why we emphasized mental strength more.”
In fact, the victory seemed to go towards stronger motivation. In the 21st minute of the first half, Kim Joo-chan received a pass from Kazuki and pushed the ball into the opposite goal with a right-footed shot from the left penalty box. Then, in the 30th minute of the first half, Acosti scored an additional goal with a header through good positioning when Kim Tae-hwan’s throw-in hit the Daejeon defense. The atmosphere completely shifted towards Suwon, and this trend did not change until the middle of the second half.
However, Daejeon did not collapse. Thiago scored 2 goals. In the 36th minute of the second half, Thiago neatly finished the cross in front of the goal after Kang Yun-seong exchanged 2-on-1 passes. Then, in added time of the second half, Massa penetrated into the penalty box from Thiago’s header pass and scored the equalizer.
Thiago cited the spirit of not giving up as the secret to achieving a draw. After the game, he met with reporters in the mixed zone (joint coverage area) and said, “The performance was not good in the first half. At halftime, coach Lee told the players to show their best and not give up until the end, so the players woke up.” .
There was also a personal will to become the top scorer. On this day, Thiago scored his 16th league goal, surpassing Joo Min-gyu (15 goals) to become the sole leading scorer. Regarding this, he said, “Being the top scorer in itself is a very big achievement in my career. I will work hard until the end, but approach training and games with humility,” and with the belief that good results can come someday if I always do my best, I played in K-League 2 last year. I pledged to win the top scoring title in K-League 1 this year, which I missed out on by a few numbers.
On the other hand, Kim Joo-chan’s face was full of regret. In a mixed zone interview after the game, he bowed his head and said, “Suwon is like my home. I feel proud of that and do my best on the field, but in that regard, the results were not good, so I apologize to the fans in every game and it is very disappointing.”
Since both coaches and players talked about motivation, it was natural that Martha, who was interviewed by the decorated player, was also asked questions about motivation. He became a hot topic with an interview in which he risked his life for promotion, so everyone was paying attention to what Martha would say.
Kim Joo-chan pledged to do his best in the remaining games. There are still fateful matches remaining, such as the Suwon Derby against Suwon FC, the Super Match against FC Seoul, and the fateful match against Gangwon FC. Kim Joo-chan said, “I really do my best to prepare for every game,” and “It’s not because it’s a derby, but I’m trying to do my best and be in the best condition. I’ll try harder and prepare well.”카지노사이트
But Martha unexpectedly said that she didn’t need motivation. Masa, who volunteered to be interviewed in Korean, said, “Personally, the word motivation is not in my heart. My thoughts are always the same. I felt the same today, last week, and even before the opening game. I don’t need motivation.” What this means is that it is important for a player to always do his best rather than having different motivation for each game.
Still, he asked Martha for a goal again. Masa spoke in Japanese this time, as if speaking Korean was difficult. He said, “I want to experiment with various ideals. I want to play challengingly,” and “I will do my best to win because there are home games left, and I also want to play a lot to help my teammates.”
On the surface, one team may seem more motivated than another, but all players and coaches go into each game with the same level of motivation. In that sense, the 2-2 draw between Suwon and Daejeon can be said to be a result that clearly shows this.