While Lee Dong-kyung and Jung Jae-hee faltered, the competition for the top scorer with a changed foreign trend
Jul 09, 2024
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Early in the season was led by the "Native Offensive Midfielder". Lee Dong-kyung (Kim Cheon) and Lee Sang-heon (Gangwon) and Jung Jae-hee (Pohang) showed off their hot toes. It was no exaggeration to say that Lee Dong-kyung dominated the early part of K League 1 until he joined the military. He scored seven goals and five assists in eight games before joining the army. It showed off its enormous productivity with 1.5 attack points per game and 1 attack point per 50.9 minutes. It was a tremendous performance reminiscent of Lee Myung-joo (currently Incheon, then Pohang), who scored five goals and nine assists in 11 games before moving to the Middle East, including the most offensive points in K-League history in 2014.
Lee Sang-hun and Jung Jae-hee also showed off their performances. Lee Sang-hun, who was a "million-year prospect", showed full scoring ability after moving to Gangwon. He scored seven goals in his first seven games. Jung Jae-hee has been reborn as 'Man of Extra Time' Jung Jae-hee, who scored all four of her first goals only in additional time, later scored a hat trick and jumped into the early scoring race.
Following them, Lee Seung-woo (Suwon FC) added 'Korean Messi'. Lee Seung-woo, who turned into a special Joker, played a role as a troubleshooter and scored nine goals. It was faster than the previous two seasons with 14 and 10 goals.
However, they have recently slowed down. Lee Dong-kyung has yet to taste the goal due to the aftermath of military training and adaptation to a new atmosphere after joining the military. Lee Sang-heon also scored only one goal in three months after reporting his seventh goal against Jeonbuk in April. Jung Jae-hee was also closed for more than two months until he scored against Daegu last weekend. Lee Seung-woo has also been unable to play recently due to a hamstring injury.
Foreigners are coming to the fore on their behalf. FC Seoul's Ilyuchenko (11 goals) and Incheon's Mugosa (10 goals) emerged as the top scorers. Ilyuchenko scored multiple goals against Jeju United last weekend to become the leading scorer. Mugosa also scored a dramatic equalizer in the match against Gimcheon, which was a farewell match for coach Cho Sung-hwan, and scored a double-digit score.
Ilyuchenko, who had been quiet since moving to Seoul, is scoring again as soon as Kim Ki-dong, who shared his successful days in Pohang, takes office in Seoul. He has scored six goals in the last eight games. Mugosa seems to be playing his part by steadily operating the scoring like Incheon's ace. In addition, Yago, who recently confirmed his trip to Ulsan, also scored nine goals and became a candidate for top scorer. All of these foreigners have the same position as strikers and players who have experienced the Korean stage. While foreign strikers, who are particularly noticeable this season, are not seen well, there are definitely evaluations that the old guard is a mastermind.
vanbasten@sportschosun.com
