The Pohang Steelers certainly have the staying power.
Pohang won 2-0 away from home against Incheon United in the 29th round of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 at the Incheon Football Stadium on February 2. With an unbeaten run of eight matches (four wins and four draws), Pohang is effectively in second-place consolidation mode. Pohang also clinched an early berth in the Final A (Round of 6). With 53 points, even if Pohang loses all four of its remaining matches, seventh-ranked Incheon (40 points) cannot overtake Pohang.
Moreover, there was a “bleeding” ahead of the Incheon game. The team lost striker Hong Yun-sang, who had scored goals in two consecutive games after joining Pohang in the summer transfer window. He was called up to the U-22 national team, led by Hwang Sun-hong, as a substitute. Kim had hoped to use Hong Yun-sang against Incheon, but had no choice but to leave him out of the national team call-up.
Pohang’s depth on the flanks has been noticeably thin of late. Jung Jae-hee’s return to the team has been delayed, and even mainstay Baek Sung-dong has been sidelined with a knee injury. Of the existing starters, only Kim In-sung and Kim Seung-dae are flankers. Kim Seung-dae is hard to categorize as a typical flanker. That’s why Hong Yun-sang’s presence was even more necessary.
That’s why Kim included five U-22 players in his roster against Incheon. A de facto ‘meat and potatoes’ plan. In particular, 2004-born flanker Park Hyung-woo made his first appearance of the season. He played 45 minutes before being subbed off. Of the U-22 resources, all four except Park took the field.
Still, Pohang managed to get a result. Pohang struggled a bit with Incheon’s pace, but the defense remained focused and kept a clean sheet, and the unstoppable attack converted both penalty kicks to secure the three points.메이저놀이터
The so-called ‘upset win’ is one of the conditions of a strong team. Pohang has only lost four times in 29 matches this season (14 wins and 11 draws). That’s fewer losses than leader Ulsan Hyundai (19 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses), which means they’ve shown their ‘low power’. Pohang’s staying power is a great asset for the team. Pohang will begin its Asian Champions League (ACL) group stage on Nov. 20 against Hanoi (Vietnam). On top of that, the team will have to play in the semifinals of the Korean Football Association (FA) Cup in November. Pohang’s resilience has grown stronger with each passing season.
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