A late injury-time winner in his professional debut. It was a miraculous storyline. In a game that will be remembered as one of the biggest upsets in K League history, Hong Yun-sang (21) scored his debut goal to lead Pohang to a dramatic victory.스포츠토토
Pohang Steelers defeated Daejeon Hana Citizen 4-3 at home in the 27th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at Pohang Steel Yard at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
With the win, Pohang remained in second place with 49 points and moved within 11 points of first-place Ulsan (60 points). They are also eight points clear of third-place Jeonbuk (41 points). Daejeon, meanwhile, dropped from sixth to seventh place with 36 points.
A nail-biter…Hong Yun-sang scores a late stoppage-time winner after coming on as a substitute
Pohang deployed a 4-3-3 formation on the day. Baek Sung-dong, Zeca, and Seung-dae Kim were up front, with Kim Jun-ho, Kim Jong-woo, and Oberdan at the back. The defense was Wandelsson, Grant, Park Chan-yong, and Park Seung-wook, with Hwang In-jae in goal.
Daejeon also responded with a 4-3-3 formation. Leandro, Thiago, and Byung-kwan were up front, while Joo Se-jong, Masa, and Kim Young-wook were in charge of the midfield. The back line was Oh Jae-seok, Anton, Kim Hyun-woo, and Kang Yoon-seong, and Lee Chang-geun wore the goalkeeping gloves.
In the first half, the two teams exchanged three shots and fought fiercely. They kept the pressure steady and battled in the midfield. Kim Young-wook in the 17th minute and Masa in the 30th minute had mid-range shots blocked by Hwang In-jae in goal. Pohang converted their first shot on goal. In the 42nd minute, Wandelsson sent in a cross from the left side that Zeca finished with a header.
At the start of the second half, Pohang substituted Kim In-sung for Kim Jun-ho and Daejeon substituted Kim In-gyun for Leandro. Pohang added another goal in the sixth minute of the second half. On a counterattack, Kim Seung-dae sent in a cross that Zeca headed into the back of the net.
Even with the lead, the team didn’t stop attacking. In the eighth minute of the second half, Kim Seung-dae’s cross went wide of the goal. In the 12th minute, Kim Seung-dae’s chip shot went wide of the goal.
Daejeon needed a breakthrough. In the 14th minute of the second half, Joo Se-jong, Kim Young-wook, and Oh Jae-seok were replaced by Lee Jin-hyun, Bae Joon-ho, and Lee Hyun-sik at the same time, but Pohang still dominated the midfield without relinquishing the initiative. In the 20th minute of the second half, Kim In-sung’s right-footed shot from outside the box bounced off the post. Pohang, who were constantly aiming for Daejeon’s goal, added another goal in the 32nd minute in perfect harmony with Kim In-sung, Baek Sung-dong, and Kim Seung-dae, seemingly driving a wedge into the game.
Daejeon, who seemed to be going down easily, did not give up. In the 35th minute of the second half, Thiago scored a header off a cross from Jeon Byung-kwan to start the chase. On the other hand, Pohang, who still had a two-goal cushion, substituted Hong Yun-sang and Ha Chang-rae for Baek Sung-dong and Park Seung-wook in the 35th minute to bolster their stamina. Daejeon cut the deficit to one goal three minutes later when Thiago scored a fantastic out-front shot. And finally, in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time, the formula of a Jeon Byung-kwan cross-Tiago header was fulfilled to equalize.
But it was Pohang who had the last laugh. In the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, Kim Seung-dae sent in a cross from the left that Hong Yun-sang connected with a header that only changed direction to score the ‘theater goal’ and put an end to the match.
Hong Yun-sang’s recruitment effect… Pohang increases chances of 2nd place in 10 years
Hong Yun-sang, who scored the winning goal, is a former Pohang youth player who went through Pohang Steel Dongcho, Pohang Steel Middle, and Pohang Steel High. After graduating from Pohang Steel in 2021, he went on loan to Wolfsburg in Germany. He played in the second teams of Austria’s St. Pölten and Germany’s Nurnberg, but failed to make an official first-team debut and eventually returned to Pohang in July.
With a thin roster, the signing of the promising striker was a big boost for Pohang. Hong Yun-sang made his debut in the 42nd minute of the match against Daejeon. Coincidentally, the team went from 3-0 down to conceding three goals in quick succession, and it looked like a comfortable victory was out of reach.
However, eight minutes into second-half stoppage time, Hong Yun-sang scored a dramatic header to send the Pohang home fans into a frenzy. He scored the winning goal to secure the three points on his dream debut.
Every year, Pohang has struggled with the departure of its main players, but Kim Ki-dong’s magic has kept them in the top tier. This season is no different. They are in second place, eight points ahead of third-place Jeonbuk.
Since winning the league title in 2013, their highest finish in the last nine years has been third. If they finish second, it will be their best finish in a decade. Despite Ulsan’s dominance, an upset isn’t out of the question. It will be interesting to see how Pohang will fare in the future as they continue to write their miracle story.
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