This season, Incheon tends to catch games like miracles that no one can say they will win. Young players who wrote a miracle against Gwangju worked against champions Ulsan.

Incheon United, led by head coach Cho Sung-hwan, won 3-1 against Ulsan Hyundai in the 37th round of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 at 7:30 p.m. on the 24th at Incheon Football Stadium. Park Seung-ho scored consecutive goals in the 5th minute of the second half, Hong Si-hoo in the 28th minute of the second half, and Oh Ban-seok in the 31st minute of the second half. Ulsan made up for it in the 45th minute of the second half when Joo Min-kyu scored a penalty kick.

There were four U-22 players on the pregame selection list. Coach Cho Sung-hwan met with reporters before the game and said, “This is the best.” Key players to lead the team, including Shin Jin-ho, Lee Myung-joo, Delbridge, Mugosa, and Gerso, left the squad due to line injuries, and some of them could not return until winter training in preparation for next season.

In this situation, Ulsan operated some rotations, but most of the key players who led the championship this season came out and faced Incheon. It was a tough race to say that Incheon would win.

But Incheon got back to work. It was a situation that looked exactly like the match against Gwangju FC in the 35th round. At that time, Incheon, which is ahead of important matches such as the FA Cup semifinals and the ACL group stage, caught Gwangju, which operated its full capacity even after filling seven of the 11 starters with U-22 resources.

A similar situation took place in the match against Ulsan. And young players born in the 2000s contributed the most to catching the victory.

In the 5th minute of the second half, Park Seung-ho’s “Wonder” first goal, born in 2003, and his debut goal was enough to dampen Ulsan’s momentum. Choi Woo-jin, born in 2004, finished the cross low from the left side with a left-footed shot. On the other hand, in the 28th minute of the second half, Hong Si-hoo, who was born in 2001, scored a wedge. Hernandez’s pass in the penalty box was scored.

Then, Oh Ban-seok, the eldest brother and captain born in 1988, responded. When Kim Bo-seop put up a light left-footed cross, he pushed it with his head.

Following the last victory against Gwangju, the victory against Ulsan also highlighted the performance of young players. He scored a goal and won, and it’s a good way to show Underdog’s giant killing. Hana manager Cho Sung-hwan explained that the players’ performance was possible because of the performances of veterans who took the center stage.

At the post-game press conference, he stressed twice that it was possible because of the harmony of seniors and rookies. “Before leaving the press conference, he re-emphasized what he said at the beginning. It was a compliment to the old players. “I’m grateful that Kim Do-hyuk was in harmony with senior players in defense and rookie players in midfield. Thank you for your passionate support in the cold weather.” Indeed, it was.

The victory sparked hope for Incheon to advance to the 2024-2025 AFC Champions League 2 (ACL2). With one ticket given to fourth place in the league, Incheon briefly ranked fourth, beating Jeonbuk Hyundai (54 points), which played one game less with 14 wins, 14 draws and 9 losses and 56 points. Competition with Jeonbuk for ACL2 tickets is expected to continue until the final round.

안전놀이터