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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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Kangwon won his first victory of the season thanks to the strong performance of Lee Ji-ho.
Gangwon came from behind to win 2-1 at home in the second round of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2025' held at Songam Sports Town in Chuncheon on the 23rd. Gangwon, which was dragged by giving up the first goal to Lee Ho-jae in the 43rd minute of the first half, balanced the game with a dramatic equalizer by Lee Ji-ho in the 36th minute of the second half. In the second half of extra time, Lee Ji-ho scored the come-from-behind winning goal again. Gangwon, which lost its opening match against Daegu 1-2, won three valuable points in its home opener. Pohang has been mired in a four-game losing streak, including ACLE.
Gangwon coach Chung Kyung-ho opted for a 4-3-3 formation. Lee Ji-ho, Gabriel, and Lee Sang-heon took charge of the three-top, while Kim Kang-guk, Lee Yoo-hyun, and Kim Dong-hyun built the three-middle. Choi Han-sol, Lee Ki-hyuk, Kang Joon-hyuk, set up a four-back, and Lee Kwang-yeon defended the goal. "It will be different from what you see on the paper," coach Chung said on the formation, smiling significantly, using a little trick. In fact, Gangwon prepared an ever-changing tactic to form a three-back during an offensive build-up and Lee Yoo-hyun, who played wing-back, moved to the central midfielder.
Coach Park Tae-ha put Lee Ho-jae at the top in the 4-2-3-1 formation. Kim In-sung, Baek Sung-dong and Hong Yoon-sang built the second line of attack, and Auberdan and Han Chan-hee set up the midfield. Lee Tae-seok, Jeon Min-kwang, Lee Dong-hee, and Shin Kwang-hoon were in charge of the four-back, and Hwang In-jae wore goalie gloves. On the reason why Hwang In-jae and Yoon Pyeong-guk are alternately deployed in the league and ACL, "Both are capable players. There have been personal misses for goalkeepers, but things continue to turn sour," he said, explaining that it was a way to untangle the twisted thread. He added that he expects veterans such as Kim In-sung and Baek Sung-dong to play an important role.
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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| photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association |
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Gangwon took the jab first. Kang Joo-hyuk's right-footed shot slightly off the post in the 10th minute of the first half. Pohang showed a lack of concentration. Hwang In-jae's goal kick mistake and Lee Dong-hee's pass miss occurred one after another in the 11th minute. Gangwon's Gabriel, who blocked Lee Dong-hee's pass, shot in the box was blocked by Hwang In-jae. In the 19th minute, Lee Yoo-hyun's right-footed mid-range shot slightly rose above the net.
In the 25th minute, Pohang's corner kick situation, Baek Sung-dong cleverly sent a long ball out of the box. Han Chan-hee, who caught the ball, attempted a mid-range shot targeting the right corner of the goal, and the ball hit the defensive leg and hit the post. 35 min Gabriel's volley went over the net. When Hwang In-jae caught Gabriel's header in the 39th minute, Lee Kwang-yeon saved Baek Sung-dong's shot in the 43rd minute. The flow of zero was broken in the 43rd minute of the first half. Lee Ho-jae scored Lee Tae-seok's corner kick with a header using a high RBI. Pohang finished the first half with a 1-0 lead.
Pohang took out the replacement card first. Kang Hyun-je was put into the position of Hong Yoon-sang. In the 12th minute of the second half, he took out Baek Sung-dong and put in Wandelsson Kim Kang-guk's shot in the 16th minute was nothing. Gangwon Province, which is in a hurry to make a change. In the 21st minute of the second half, Hong Chul and Kovacevic were put in the position of Choi Han-sol, Kim Kang-guk. In the 28th minute of the second half, Gabriel, Lee Sang-heon and Gabriel received a golden chance in the box one after another, but failed to open the goal protected by Hwang In-jae. In particular, in the 31st minute of the second half, he missed the goal area. In the 30th minute of the second half, Giorgi shot his right foot after digging into the box with a bold dribble breakthrough, but he swallowed the disappointment by slightly leaving the post.
Gangwon, which had been driving, scored an equalizer in the 36th minute of the second half. Captain Kim Dong-hyun's long ball to the gate fell into the penalty area line. In the 50-50 situation of Lee Ji-ho running toward the ball and Hwang In-jae running away after emptying the goal, Lee Ji-ho touched the ball first. Lee Ji-ho, who faced an empty goal momentarily, scored with a calm right-footed volley into the net. Lee Ji-ho, who graduated from Korea University and joined Gangwon as a late player this year, scored his K-League debut goal in his home opener to announce the birth of a new star.
In the second minute of extra time in the second half, Lee Ji-ho scored a come-from-behind goal with a chip shot that crossed the goalkeeper's height again. The score was recognized after an on-field review of the video reading system. Gangwon won the game 2-1.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
