“We will do our best against Daegu FC with the meaning of winning.”

Jeonbuk Hyundai earned a 1-0 victory over Malaysia’s Slangor FC at Jeonju World Cup Stadium on Sunday at 7 p.m. in the fourth match of Group H of the 2024-2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two (ACLT).

With the win, Jeonbuk added three points to their tally, dropping Slangor to second place with nine points (3W, 1D) and eos파워볼 returning to the top of the group with seven points.

Jeonbuk Hyundai, who traveled to Malaysia on March 23 to face Slangor in their third group match, suffered a disappointing 1-2 loss and lost the top spot in Group H. In the match that brought Slangor to Jeonju, Jeonbuk regained the lead after Thiago’s first goal led to the final goal.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Jeonbuk head coach Kim Doo-hyun said, “We aimed to turn the tide with today’s game. I want to congratulate the players for the victory. It would have been nice to have scored more goals, but we will make every effort against Daegu FC with the meaning of the victory.”

Kim commented on the one-goal deficit, saying, “It’s concentration. It’s a process that the players are building through training and they need to find confidence. In terms of psychology, we need to finish without being chased. Everything is geared towards Daegu. From my point of view, I thought we needed to complement the offense without putting pressure on the players.”

Lee Seung-woo and Thiago started together. Kim said, “I put them in in terms of match sense. I think they played in harmony. I think we saw a different look, big and small. I saw a positive aspect that the players are confident and ready for the next game.”

In this game, coach Kim Doo-hyun brought on younger resources such as Jin Tae-ho and Seo Jeong-hyuk as substitutes in the second half when the 1-0 lead was somewhat shaky. “There are always variables in the game,” said Kim. We made substitutions in preparation, and although they are young, I think they came in and played well. Jeonbuk’s youth players are growing up well and we have to keep an eye on them. We will always keep an eye on them,” he explained.

Thiago hasn’t scored since July. Kim said, “We have a plan to utilize him against Daegu. He’s been injured for a while. He is a player who prepares diligently according to the team’s situation. I hope he can recover well for the next game and help the team.”

With the lead, Jeonbuk fans wanted to be aggressive and score more goals, chanting “Shut up and attack” and “Wake up Jeonbuk”. Coach Kim Doo-hyun responded, “I think every coach would do that. Ideally, we want to play a game with a lot of goals. I think it’s a process of building up little by little, and I think the most important thing is to win. Winning comes first. It’s also necessary to reward the fans with a lot of goals. As a coach, I try to fulfill that every day. It motivates me. I will prepare better,” he said.