"I don't want to talk about the past" The K-League's return to tears in 1400 days, Son Jun-ho dreaming of becoming a national flag

Aug 19, 2024

Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ K League1/ Ulsan HDFC vs Suwon FC/ Son Joon-ho scoring/ goal celebration/ photo Kim Jung-soo

Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ K League1/ Ulsan HDFC vs Suwon FC/ Suwon Son Joon-ho Scoring, Kim Eun-joong/ Goal Ceremony/ Joy/ Hugs/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo

Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ K League1/ Ulsan HDFC vs Suwon FC/ Suwon Son Joon-ho/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo

Son Joon-ho (32, Suwon FC) was the main character of 'reversal drama'. Suwon FC caught Ulsan HD, which is 'big fish' in the away game.

Suwon FC defeated Ulsan 2-1 in the 27th round of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2024' held at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on the 18th. It was a slanted playground. Suwon FC coach Kim Eun-joong, who lost consecutive games, was full of depth. At one point, he rose to fourth place. However, as Lee Seung-woo and Kwon Kyung-won, the stars of the offense and defense, left, even the round of 6 was shaken.

Coach Kim Eun-joong, who is about to face off, said "Our players have come this far with really good performances, but it's most regrettable that they haven't been reinforced." It's something we can't solve. The bottom teams won yesterday, but it's a difference of desperation. We put everything into one game. The players are doing their best. I said, "Let's do our best as we prepared today."

On the other hand, Ulsan HD coach Kim Pan-gon made his debut with a victory and took a light step forward. He also had a chance to reclaim the top spot. Manager Kim Pan-gon said, `Seven players have changed compared to the last game. No matter who goes on the ground, we have to give fans the same joy"Today's game is worth everything. We have to go ahead and say that the team deserves to win. We need to increase our chances of winning as much as possible," he stressed.

Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium/ K League1/ Ulsan HDFC vs. Suwon FC/ Ulsan Resident-gyu/ Exit/ Photo by Kim Jung-soo

However, Joo Min-kyu's exit in the 39th minute of the first half was decisive. Joo Min-kyu received a red card for a war of nerves with Lee Jae-won of Suwon FC. The referee took out the yellow card, but the color changed after VAR (video reading) 'on-field review' It was an obvious red card. It was Joo Min-gyu's first direct exit as a professional.

Suwon FC tapped 10 Ulsan players, and Son Joon-ho opened the door. He scored with a right-footed mid-range shot in the 42nd minute. Kang Sang-yoon responded with a right-footed shot to the ball he gave away. The ball that left his foot crossed Cho's height after being deflected off Kim Min-joon of Ulsan.

It was Son Jun-ho's return goal for the first time in 1,400 days in K League 1. After wearing Suwon FC uniform, it was a man-made goal. He said "The bottom teams won the game yesterday. It was an important game today, and I think it will help me prepare for the next game by taking three points away from the road. I think the team will have an advantage in getting the top spot."

Suwon Sports Complex/ K League1/ Suwon FC vs. Gwangju FC/ Suwon Son Joong-ho Joining Ceremony/ Choi Soon-ho, Son Joon-ho/ Photo by Kim Kyung-tae

I've come a long way. On May 10 last year, he was detained by Chinese police shortly after the Shandong Taishan-Chengdu War. Suwon FC was the club that held his hand when he returned home on March 25. Son Jun-ho returned to the ground on June 22, the first time in a year and a month. K League 1 was the first return match in three years and seven months since the match against Daegu on November 1, 2020, when Jeonbuk was at Hyundai.

Son Joon-ho finally scored a goal on the same day, 10 games after his return. The last time Son Joon-ho shook the net in the K-League was against Gwangju on October 18, 2020. It was exactly the first time in 1,400 days that he burst into tears.

Son Joon-ho said "The idea was to hit a shot unconditionally when it came out. He pointed out how the coach saved his shots. "The coach's strong orders helped him score a goal."I felt the goal when I saw the trajectory of the ball. I felt good like when I scored my debut goal when I was a rookie. While preparing for today's game, I saw repeatedly beat Ulsan 1-0 when I was in Jeonbuk in 2020. I played the game with the thought of being the last," he stressed.

Incheon Football Stadium/ K League1/ Incheon United vs Suwon FC/ Suwon Son Jun-ho/ Photo by Jung Jae-hoon

It was a special goal. When asked again how he felt, he said, `I don't want to talk about what's really gone by. I thought this day would come. I thought a good day would come. It feels like I'm looking for each one little by little. I feel grateful for every little thing. " Show it in the stadium, so I'm preparing well because I can fill the gap of the past. The biggest thing is that I can show my family playing soccer. I'm doing my best to make my daughter and son a proud father and husband," he stressed.

Suwon FC coach Kim Eun-joong also had a different feeling. When Junho joined, he was so experienced that he had no awkwardness at all. He prepared a lot. In addition to personal training, there was something I was grateful for for doing a good job as a senior. I haven't been able to play in the meantime. I told my juniors that I was happy to play in the game itself. It was shown as a positive effect. "Thank you for Jun-ho scoring a goal when it's important. We don't have a traditional striker. The midfielders need to score goals, but I'll continue this part, too"Joyed.

Son Joon-ho is a ten-year-old roommate of Sang-yoon " (Kang). I share my experiences with young players and talk a lot. (Lee Seung-woo and Kwon Kyung-won) A key player is out, but K-League players are evenly positioned. When it comes to members, I don't want to lose to any team. If you show enough on the field, you won't be able to talk about the players who left."

Son Jun-ho's dream is now to return to the A team. He "It was actually one of the goals of today's game. There will be a coach watching while playing with Team Kang. When the list was announced, I felt that I would have no regrets or regrets only if I showed competitive performanceThere was a desire to show that he was ready. Even if it's not 90 minutes, it's 80 minutes of physical strength. I wanted to show my strengths for 80 minutes. We need to show better performance in the remaining home games against Jeju and become a competitive player. I will become a player who can wear the national flag on his chest again."

Suwon FC, which escaped from two consecutive losses, scored 44 points and regained fifth place.

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