Suwon FC head coach Kim Eun-joong admitted that his side lost the battle in the center of the park against Gangwon FC.
Suwon scored a goal from Lee Seung-woo but conceded goals from Yoo In-su, Yago, and Yang Min-hyuk in a 1-3 defeat to Gangwon in the 17th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon on Friday.
With the three points, Gangwon moved level on points with Ulsan HD, who have played one game less but have a superior goal difference, with nine wins, four draws and 31 points. Suwon drops to fifth place (8W3D6L – 27 points).
The home team lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Lee Kwang-yeon in goal and Hwang Mungi-Ki, Kang Too-ji, Kim Young-bin, and Song Jun-seok in the back four. Kim Kang-guk, Kim Dae-woo, Yoo In-soo, and Yang Min-hyuk combined in the midfield, while Yago and Lee Sang-heon were the two up front.
The opposing team, Suwon, came out with a 4-5-1 formation. Ahn Jun-soo donned the goalkeeper’s gloves, while Park Chul-woo, Jackson, Choi Kyu-baek, and Lee Yong-yi defended. Jung Seung-won, Yoon Bitgaram, Andersson, Kang Sang-yoon, and Lee Seung-woo formed the midfield, with Ji Dong-won as the frontline striker.
Kangwon took the lead in the 13th minute through Yoo In-su. After receiving a penetrating pass from Lee Sang-heon, Yoo Yoo-soo slotted the ball into the corner of the goal with his right foot.
Suwon equalized in the 10th minute of the second half through Lee Seung-woo. Lee played a pass to Andersson, who broke through on the right side of the box and drove to the near post. He then dropped it low to Lee Seung-woo, who rushed in front of the goal and rattled the net with just his foot.
However, Gangwon immediately responded with another goal. Yago received a pass from Lee Sang-heon and split the net with a powerful left-footed shot. High school sensation Yang Min-hyuk then added a wedge goal to complete the rout.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Kim said, “We traveled all the way from Suwon, but we are disappointed with the result. The players prepared 안전놀이터 well, but it was a difficult game because we conceded easily. We need to prepare again. I think there were some parts of the preparation process where we were not as careful as before. We will prepare well for the next match against Seoul.”
When asked what didn’t go well in the match, he explained, “The players panicked because we kept giving up chances on their counterattacks. We tried to find a balance by increasing the number of midfielders (by bringing on Ji Dong-won). We equalized immediately afterward, but our mistakes led to another goal, so it was a difficult game.”
On why they struggled to press, he said, “We didn’t have enough midfielders, so we had a hard time getting out of the press. I think the players panicked and we didn’t develop our offense well. I think we need to work on that.”