Baek Seung-ho (Jeonbuk), captain of the Korean men’s soccer team at the Hangzhou Asian Games, was pleased with the team’s big win in their first match.
South Korea, led by Hwang Sun-hong, cruised to a 9-0 victory over Kuwait in their men’s football Group E match at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium in Zhejiang, China, on Monday.
Baek Seung-ho, who wore the captain’s armband, made it 3-0 in the 44th minute with a cannonball-like mid-range shot.
“It was hard to play in the hot weather and high humidity today, but I think we prepared well,” Baek Seung-ho said in a post-match interview. “It’s important to recover well and prepare for the second leg.”
Baek Seung-ho, who also scored a goal with a mid-range shot in the round of 16 against Brazil at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, said, “It was actually our first game, so the players were nervous, but we were able to take advantage of our chances from the beginning and go ahead easily.” “We didn’t know what was going to happen, so we decided to stay calm and play our game,” he added.
When asked about his responsibilities as captain, he said, “I feel it even before the tournament,” adding, “It’s important to help the players prepare for the second game with good conditioning.”
“The players are following me well, so I don’t have any major worries,” he said, adding, “I try to play a role in the communication between the coach and the players, and the players helped me well, so it was fun to play.”
Baek Seung-ho, who was introduced by coach Hwang Sun-hong, said, “There will be many situations during the Asian Games, and he ordered me to lead the players well so that they don’t get dragged into the atmosphere.” Baek Seung-ho also expressed his gratitude to the fans, saying, “I could hear their support in the middle of the game today, so I was able to play with strength.”
South Korea will play their second group game against Thailand on Nov. 21. 파워볼게임