Kim Jong-woo, 31, Pohang Steelers, professed his love for head coach Park Tae-ha, while also hiding his college ambitions in an offensive role.
The Pohang Steelers defeated Jeonbuk Hyundai 1-0 in the 11th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at the Pohang Steel Yard at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, thanks to a theatrical goal from Kim Jong-woo.
With the win, Pohang extended its unbeaten streak to 10 matches with another strong showing in extra time. At the same time, they took the lead at the top of the table with 24 points, ahead of Ulsan HD (23 points), who have played one game less. It was also their first win in four games in front of their home fans.
Jeonbuk, on the other hand, had to shake their heads as they crumbled in the final moments despite holding on. With back-to-back defeats, Jeonbuk remains in eighth place with 10 points.
Pohang had 18 shots on goal before the end of the match, but couldn’t find the Jeonbuk goal. The score remained 0-0 as the four minutes of stoppage time expired. It looked like it would be another draw at home.
However, the tables were turned. In the last minute, 스포츠토토 on a counterattack, Kim Jong-woo scored a thrilling theater goal to give the home fans the victory. He calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to seal the game.
After the game,
Kim Jong-woo, who was named the Man of the Match, said, “We haven’t won at home in the last two games. The coach told us to get a win, and I’m glad we were able to do it. I’m grateful to him,” he said.
In a broadcast interview immediately after the game, Kim Jong-woo declared his love for coach Park Tae-ha, saying, “I love you, coach.” He laughed, saying, “I guess it just came out.”
Kim Jong Woo then added, “I actually thought you were a bit old-fashioned. I thought he’d be a bit of a jerk. But he’s not. He cares a lot about the players. The players like and appreciate it a lot. I tried to express that once,” he said.
The press conference room immediately erupted into laughter at the unexpected ‘bratty’ remark, and the Pohang official next to him gave an embarrassed smile, saying, “Don’t take this the wrong way. “It may look like that, but it’s not,” Kim Jong-woo said. In fact, coach Lee Jung-hyo is more of a boss. It’s a joke. Director Lee Jung-hyo is good at taking jokes, so it’s okay.” He even added, ”It’s okay.
Kim Jong-woo also explained the story behind the final goal.
“I was playing the role of shadow striker after (Kim) Dong-jin came on. I was a defensive midfielder. But just before the goal, Dongjin asked me to go down. I said, “I’ll go down there. It was with about three minutes left,” he said.
“I switched positions and stood in that position, but when I saw an attacking opportunity, I said, ‘Let’s take a shot. The ball was lucky to fall in front of my feet, and I scored,” he added.
Of course, it was something he had been practicing all along. “I actually prefer to play in an attacking position. At Pohang, I’m playing down low. In the meeting, I told the coach that I could play up top as well. For this match, I switched on my own accord, but I’m glad it worked out well. It’s the position I talked to the coach about,” he said with a wry smile. Pohang officials also tried to defend the switching play, saying that it was only possible because they had been practicing it in training.
“My priority is to play the way the team wants me to play,” said Kim Jong-woo. I’m a player who prefers to play in the offensive position, but I haven’t told the coach that I want to play in that position yet. It’s up to the coach to decide what I should do. I have to play the way the team wants and the coach wants,” he added.
Would he consider talking to Park Tae-ha himself?
“I wonder if he’ll see this article,” Kim Jong-woo laughed, “but I think I should tell him that if he needs me in this position, I can do it, rather than saying, ‘I want to play here.
Pohang has scored a lot of theater goals this season. Including this game, they have scored in stoppage time in six matches. When asked about the secret, Kim Jong-woo said, “Pohang is always willing to play with any team. This year, as we’ve been in the lead, the players’ belief in each other has grown stronger. 온라인 슬롯 We have the idea that we can win against anyone if we play until the end. We are working hard to score goals and not give up until the end.”
The first round robin is over. With their current momentum, winning the championship is not out of the question. Kim Jong-woo said, “Actually, it might be a bit hasty. We feel that we can play with any team. All the players are confident. The coach is also making tactical changes according to the opponent. It’s all working well together. It’s a bit hasty to talk about winning the championship, but I think if we trust the coach and work together as a team, we will have a good result in the end,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.