“We got three valuable points thanks to the players who didn’t lose their focus until the end,” said Cho Sung-hwan, head coach of professional soccer’s K League 1 Incheon United, who jumped to fourth place with a dramatic goal from Oh Ban-seok just before the end of the game.
Incheon defeated Suwon FC 2-1 in the 28th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023 at Suwon Sports Complex on Friday afternoon, thanks to Oh Ban-seok’s header from a corner kick in second-half stoppage time.
With the three points, Incheon jumped two spots to fourth place with 40 points, behind third-place Jeonbuk Hyundai (41 points).
“We were expecting a difficult game, but I think it was a team effort from everyone, including the players and fans,” said Incheon head coach Cho Sung-hwan.
“It was an important game, so I trusted the players to do well,” he said. “We prepared with a lot of time to relax and not get impatient, but I would like to praise the players for staying focused and scoring from set pieces.”
“The three points are very important. Based on these three points, we will prepare well for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) and bring more joy and happiness to our fans.”
“We conceded shortly after the start of the second half, and we wanted to bring on Delbridge to complement the side crosses,” said Cho Sung-hwan, explaining, “I substituted Chun Sung-hoon (who scored the first goal) not because of his performance, but because I was trying to find the right combination and formation between the players.”
“I thought it could affect the outcome of the game, so I told the players on the bench to stay focused,” he said, referring to a sinkhole on the pitch that halted play for about 10 minutes midway through the first half.
“We wanted to create more chances on the offensive side of the ball, and I think the win gave the team some cohesion,” he said of Incheon’s team spirit, which is on the rise with two wins and a draw in their last three league games. 토토