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| photo courtesy of Jeju United |
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| photo courtesy of Jeju United |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of Jeju United |
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| photo courtesy of Jeju United |
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Someone said Koo Ja-cheol (35, Jeju)'s time is over. Another said that even if Koo Ja-cheol returns, it will be difficult to show the same appearance as before. Time flew past in a cold manner. Koo Ja-cheol, who injured his calf in October last year, did not appear on the ground until three seasons have passed: winter, spring, and summer. Coach Kim Hak-beom, who took the helm of Jeju this year, asked Koo Ja-cheol whether he will return to the team, saying, "It is not clear when he will return to the team. If I wait, I'll be back."(April),'I don't know yet'(June) also answered vaguely. There was always a question mark on Koo Ja-cheol.
Koo Ja-cheol was fighting against him for 10 months when his teammates fought for three points on the ground. Koo Ja-cheol, who expressed his strong will to burn the last flame by saying, `This year, I belong to head coach Kim Hak-beom,' at the winter training camp ahead of the opening of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2024" visited a training center in Seoul after the opening as his sensitive calf injury showed no signs of getting better easily. According to a close aide of the player, the team expressed an indomitable will to contribute to the team in a difficult situation.
The glow began to shine in June. Koo Ja-cheol, who decided to shake off his calf injury, participated in a mini off-season training set up by Jeju in Beolgyo, Jeollanam-do during the A-match break and worked with his teammates for the first time in a long time. Through personal SNS, the expression "Nothing abnormal" suggested that he was out of calf pain. Koo Ja-cheol, who returned to the familiar Seogwipo clubhouse, entered the stage of raising his physical strength to play in earnest, and was finally able to win the fight against him.
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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Koo Ja-cheol made a surprise start in the 23rd round of the K League against Pohang at the Jeju World Cup Stadium on the 13th. Actor Shin Ye-eun, known as Koo Ja-cheol's 'true fan', was thrilled by the Jeju club's SNS post, which revealed the selection list, and posted comments like "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It was the first return match in 280 days since he started against Daejeon Hana on October 8, 2023. It has been 295 days since September 23, 2023. Koo Ja-cheol, who played as a central attacking midfielder, actively traveled between the second and third lines for 45 minutes until he was replaced by striker Seo Jin-soo at half-time, recording a pass success rate of 93.3%, one key pass, and one shot. Although it was not a remarkable performance compared to the heyday of his active career as a national team player, his commitment to the ball, active activity, and fighting to energize his colleagues remained the same in previous years.
Jeju was dragged away by giving up the first goal to Pohang Hong Yoon-sang in the 14th minute of the second half, but Hayes quickly scored an equalizer in the 17th minute, and Yuri Jonathan scored a 'theater come-from-behind goal' with a penalty kick in the 11th minute of extra time in the second half to win 2-1. Jeju, which won three valuable points, gathered coaches, staff, and players in the locker room to take a 'victory shot'. Koo Ja-cheol blew a 'V of victory' \. It is the first time in 431 days that Koo Ja-cheol took a winning shot in a game he played himself after winning 2-0 against Incheon on May 10 last year. Coach Kim said "Koo Ja-cheol did well even when he lost a lot of sense of play and physical strength"We applauded. In the K-League, the season of Koo Ja-cheol wearing only Jeju's orange uniform has just begun, and Jeju is aiming for a great rebound to advance to the Final A with Koo Ja-cheol.
yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
