After starting their quest for gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games with a record-breaking 9-0 victory, Hwang Sun-hong warned against complacency, saying they will “pretend it never happened.”
Huang’s Asian Games football team thrashed Kuwait 9-0 in their first match of Group E on Monday afternoon at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium in Zhejiang, China.
“It’s the first of seven shots (to win the title), and the players did a good job as prepared,” Hwang said at the post-match press conference, adding, “We have to be confident but forget about everything else.”
“We need more preparation, more determination,” he said, emphasizing that “a big win feels good, but it’s also something you have to be careful of.” “It can be a poison,” he said.
“We have some tough matches ahead, including the final tournament. We have a long way to go and a lot of work to do to be successful in those matches.”
Despite the bluntness of his comments, it was a welcome victory for Hwang, who has led his team through the tournament while enduring multiple layers of external pressure.
Having won two consecutive Asian Games, Hwang feels the pressure to make it three in a row.
The team’s success is also dependent on the military exemption of Lee Kang-in (PSG), who is still traveling with his club.
Not only Lee, but also Hong Hyun-seok (Gent), Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), and other players who play for European clubs, so there are high expectations from soccer fans in terms of strength.
Knowing the expectations on him, Hwang said, “We will play our best every game to win. We will do the same for the next game against Thailand,” he said, adding that they are determined to win.
However, Hwang was pleased to note that this was the “first win” for the entire Korean team at the Asian Games.
“There was a little bit of pressure (for the first game of the Korean team), but I’m happy that I was able to give the whole team a good energy,” Hwang said. “I hope that with today’s win, the whole Korean team will perform well.”
Hwang also checked the status of several players in the second half, bringing on Hong Hyun-seok (Gent), Seol Young-woo (Ulsan), Park Jae-yong (Jeonbuk) and Ahn Jae-joon (Bucheon).
“We have to play again after a day’s rest, so I’m going to talk to the technical part of the team closely. We are considering various situations,” Hwang said, “I can’t say everything here. We will make some adjustments depending on the overall group stage schedule,” he added. 안전놀이터