It was a comeback match that could not have been more perfect than this.
Daejeon Hana Citizen won 2-0 in the opening game of Hana One Q K League 1 2023 against Gangwon FC held at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 26th. After Thiago and Leandro scored consecutive goals in the first half, they achieved a content and complete victory against Gangwon, who entered Final A last year.
It was a perfect ceremony for Daejeon, who returned to K-League 1 through the promotion playoffs last year. Daejeon stepped on the first division stage in 8 years after being relegated in 2015.
As it was a significant day, a whopping 17,615 spectators entered the game. This season, Ulsan Hyundai (28,039) and FC Seoul (22,204) attracted the third largest number of spectators. It was a number suitable for the title of the first division. An official from Daejeon said, “It seems that the revenue from the audience today is about 100 million won. Certainly, it seems that Daejeon’s hidden soccer fans have taken a lot of steps since they came up in the K-League 1. Consistency is important, but I think I took the first step well.”
The stadium atmosphere was also hot. Thanks to Daejeon’s hot offensive power throughout the game, the stadium was filled with lively air throughout the 90 minutes. He even appeared to cheer for surfing, which is rare in the K-League.
Daejeon was once called the ‘soccer city’ in the past and stood at the center of the K-League. However, they stayed in the second division for the past seven years and failed to keep the pride of the famous family. Daejeon, which turned into a corporate club after twists and turns, finally entered the first division and showed off its presence.
Performance was also excellent. In particular, in the first half, the background of the promoted team was unbelievably unilateral. Daejeon overwhelms Gangwon to the point where they are far ahead in terms of ball possession, 67% vs. 33%. Gangwon’s counterattack was tough in the second half, but Daejeon maintained a high level of concentration and succeeded in scoring no points against Gangwon, where Yang Hyeon-jun and Kim Dae-won were in good health.
Unfortunately, the opponent in Daejeon on this day was Gangwon, who gave pain in the 2021 promotion playoffs. At that time, Daejeon won the home game in the first leg, but lost in the away game in the second leg and failed to promote. In the second match, the Gangwon ball boy was controversial because he did not pass the ball properly to intentionally delay the game. It was an incident that caused great controversy because even the Gangwon response was inappropriate.
A long time has passed, but Daejeon still has remnants of Gangwon. Before the game, Daejeon coach Lee Min-seong said, “I remember the wounds and tears our fans shed at the time. Now I want to wash it away,” he said, burning his will to take revenge against Kangwon. A Daejeon supporter provoked the opponent by holding a banner with a rather provocative phrase, “Did you go to the ball boy army?”
In a game where a lot was staked, Daejeon succeeded in revenge by beating Gangwon. It was a game that perfectly completed the storyline for Daejeon. 스포츠토토
After the game, coach Lee said, “I am relieved that the pain from two years ago has been wiped out.” “I will fight with all my might in every game. If I continue to improve the game like today, I think I can show a better appearance.”
Midfielder Joo Se-jong, who led the victory as the captain of the team, said, “I hope the fans will forget the pain of that time through today’s game.” That anticipation came out well in the game. We were confident when we started to improve a lot last year. I thought that even if I came up, I would be able to fight this football properly. In particular, many games were won at home. I had greater confidence,” he said, revealing his confidence in Daejeon’s competitiveness.
It was a perfect comeback for Daejeon, from the crowd mobilization, the stadium atmosphere, the content of the game, and the result.