Lee Jung-hyo's magic worked... Gwangju's first civic team to advance to the quarterfinals of ACLE
Lee Jung-hyo's magic worked... Gwangju's first civic team to advance to the quarterfinals of ACLE
Blog Article
"I don't want anyone to fall apart as a team. I'll try as far as I can tomorrow."
It started with two points behind, but Lee Jung-hyo assured the team that they can overcome it. And that became a reality.
Gwangju FC, led by head coach Lee Jung-hyo, won 3-0 against Vissel Kobe in the second round of the round of 16 of the "2024-25 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE)" held at Gwangju World Cup Stadium at 7 p.m. on the 12th. With this, Gwangju will be able to overturn its defeat (2-0) in the first round and become the first citizen team to advance to the quarterfinals of the AFC-hosted tournament and head to Saudi Arabia.
Gwangju, which was aiming for a reversal, came out in a 4-4-2 format. Goalkeeper Kim Kyung-min defended the goal, and Kim Jin-ho, Cho Sung-kwon, Min Sang-ki and Lee Min-ki were set up at the four-back. In the midfield, Oh Ho-sung, Park Tae-joon, Lee Kang-hyun, Asani, and Kobe's goal was aimed at Park Jung-in and Hayes.
Kobe took out a 4-3-3 formation. Starting with goalkeepers Maake and Daiya, Hirose, Yamakawa, Mateus Tuler, and Iwanami kept the four backs. Kawasaki, Ogihara, Idega in the midfield and Daizu Sasaki, Miyashiro Daisei and Yuya Osako in the front line aimed for Gwangju's goal.
Gwangju took the opportunity at the beginning of the first half. In the 5th minute of the first half, Ho Min-seong hit a shot, but Maekawa blocked it. After that, he proceeded with the attack by increasing the possession rate, and eventually scored the first goal. Park Jung-in, who received Park Tae-joon's cross in the 17th minute of the first half, scored Kobe's net with a header.
Gwangju continued its offensive. In the 27th minute of the first half, Kim Jin-ho attempted a cross after overlapping, but Maekawa blocked it. Hayes, who received a pass from Oh in the 33rd minute, also fired a shot with a 1-1 situation, but was blocked by a defensive wall. Kobe also fought back, but failed to penetrate the defensive wall, and the first half was over.
Gwangju continued its momentum with the start of the second half. Asani shot from the left side in the first minute of the second half, but it went off to the side of the net. Kobe, who gave up the mood one after another, took advantage of the substitution by removing Daisei and putting in Yoshinori Muto in the 10th minute of the second half.
However, Gwangju's offensive continued. Hayes fired a surprise mid-range shot at the 19th minute of the second half, but Maekawa blocked it. In the ensuing corner kick, Cho tried to hit a header, but it was also blocked.
Gwangju threw a winning move. It called Park Jung-in and deployed Park In-hyuk to strengthen its offense in the 20th minute of the second half. Gwangju then excluded Lee Kang-hyun and deployed Joo Se-jong at the 31st minute of the second half to take the reins of its offense. At the 36th minute of the second half, Park In-hyuk fired a header off Oh Soo-sung's cross, but the opponent's defense cleared it. Under the circumstances, VAR was conducted as a handball foul was suspected, and a penalty was finally declared. Asani, who played kicker, neatly tied the game and returned the balance of the match.
In the 45th minute of the second half, Asani fired a left-footed shot, but it went over the net. After that, the second half was over, and the game went to extra time. Kobe's Eric scored a shot in the 9th minute of extra time, but it missed. Gwangju also fought back, but it ended without creating a scene. Gwangju's momentum continued in the second half of extra time, and Asani fired a left-footed shot in the second minute of the second half, but Kobe blocked it.
A bad injury occurred. Min Sang-ki complained of a hamstring injury, and Bruno was put in. He threw the last game. In the 25th minute of the second half of extra time, he took out the afternoon and put in Choi Kyung-rok to score. Eventually, he succeeded in turning the tables. In the 27th minute of the second half of extra time, Asani bombed the top of the goal with a left-footed shot.
After that, Gwangju completely blocked Kobe's offensive and advanced to the quarterfinals through a 3-0 victory.
Gwangju, who fought as a "one team," showed his potential
Gwangju made its first appearance on the Asian stage, but recorded remarkable performance. Gwangju, which qualified for the Asian Champions League by ranking third in the league in its first year of promotion to the 2023 season, beat "traditional powerhouses" in the revamped tournament to advance to the tournament as fourth in the league stage.
There was also bad luck of changing opponents. Initially, he was scheduled to face Johor Darlle Takjim, but due to Shandong Taishan withdrawing from the final group match, he faced a variable that changed to Kobe. Gwangju, which had already faced off in the fourth round of the league stage, had a 2-0 defeat by Kobe.
Notably, he failed to shoot a single shot in the first half, and even conceded a penalty kick in the second half, which was a humiliating defeat. The mood was similar in the first round match of the round of 16. In the first half, he gave up the lead with 48 percent of possession and hit eight shots, but failed to shoot a single shot on target. In the end, he allowed two runs in the first half alone, failing to gain the upper hand in the first round.
The second game was different. "I played twice with Kobe and couldn't even hit a shot on target. I felt very hurt about that. I feel very embarrassed again. I want to score at least one goal in tomorrow's game regardless of whether I win or lose the game," Lee said in a pre-match press conference.
This was evident in his performance. Not only "Ace" Asani but all other players showed off their determination against Kobe. Hayes and Park Jeong-in, who started at the forefront, ran around every corner of the stadium. Park Jung-in, in particular, scored the first goal and flew fast. Park Tae-joon and Lee Kang-hyun, who served as members of the Central Committee, also did not back down despite fierce competition with opponents, and played a solid role in quelling Kobe's bold pressure.
Veteran player Min Sang-ki tightly bound Japanese national striker Yuya Osako, and Lee Min-ki, Cho Seong-kwon and Kim Jin-ho also played their part. Only one shot on target was allowed for 90 minutes against Kobe, showing the true nature of the original team. Gwangju rushed Kobe without showing any signs of fatigue even after the game was extended. He did not allow a single shot on target, showing strong determination to win.
Eventually, Gwangju continued its offensive until the second half of the extra period, and Asani's fantastic come-from-behind shot broke out, making it the first Asian Champions League elite quarterfinals in the history of the provincial team. They fought as a team, not individual players, and achieved a quarterfinal, 온라인카지노 which seemed impossible.
Meanwhile, Gwangju, which won a thrilling victory at home, will move to Gimcheon, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and play the fourth round of the K-League on the 16th.