South Korea’s head coach Hwang Sun-hong
Gives instructions during the football quarterfinal match between South Korea and China at the
Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on Monday afternoon.
Asian Games head coach Hwang Sun-hong is pleased with his in-form offense. He also vowed to
keep his team’s guard up and overcome Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals to reach the final.
Hwang’s men’s soccer
Quarterfinal match against China at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on
Monday (Feb. 1) saw the South Koreans score back-to-back goals from Hong Hyun-seok (Hent)
and Song Min-gyu (Jeonbuk) in the first half for a 2-0 victory.
After the game, head coach Hwang Sun-hong said, “We had a good game. “Hong Hyun-seok’s first goal in the 18th minute gave us stability in the game. We have two games left (to win the title). We will look ahead.”
Against the tricky Chinese, Hwang Sun-hong opted for a second lineup of Song Min-kyu, Ko Young-joon (Pohang) and Ahn Jae-joon (Bucheon) instead of the mainstays Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart) and Uhm Won-sang (Ulsan).
It was an unexpected choice, but Song Min-kyu scored a wedge goal, while Ko and Ahn were constantly on the move and harassed the Chinese defense to help secure the win.
“It was a calculated choice,” said Hwang.
“Our strikers are all in good form, so no matter who we play, they’re doing their job. “I told the players before the tournament that we would split up because we need energy up front. It doesn’t matter who starts, it’s positive that everyone (in the attack) is in good form,” he said, explaining why he chose his starting lineup.
In front of a sold-out crowd of 50,000 home fans, Huang Sunhong looked completely unflustered and relaxed in the match. In response, the Chinese lost their composure and committed some uncharacteristically rough fouls in the final minutes of the game.
“There was pressure,” Huang said.
But the players are all experienced. “The players were aware of the atmosphere and were able to switch between calm and enthusiasm, which is a great improvement for the team as a whole,” said Huang, who praised his players for not being swept away by the stadium atmosphere.
Now that they’ve crossed the Great Wall, South Korea will face Uzbekistan on Thursday at 9 p.m. for a spot in the final. Uzbekistan is a team that Hwang Sun-hong has been wary of. However, they must overcome them to win their third consecutive title.
“Uzbekistan is a very straightforward and energetic team,” said Hwang. “They play with power, so it can be difficult if you play with power. We need to be well prepared tactically.”
“Our best enemy right now is within us. We can’t let our guard down,” he added, “We need to be confident but take a step back. We will take a cautious approach and hope to win the quarterfinals and reach the final.” 카지노사이트존