Lee Seung-woo, who moved from Suwon FC to Jeonbuk Hyundai and inserted a dagger into his former team, expressed his mixed feelings about the game.
Jeonbuk, which played the 30th round of Hana Bank’s K League 1 2024 at Suwon Stadium on Sunday, defeated Suwon FC 6-0. Jeonbuk has risen to 10th place (33 points) in the league and scored 40 goals, giving it an advantage in multiple points than other remaining teams.
Jeonbuk faced Suwon FC on this day. In the 18th minute of the first half, Lee Young-jae scored the first goal with a strong left-footed shot, and Song Min-gyu scored a penalty kick in the 7th minute of the second half. Until then, Jeonbuk had to endure because Suwon FC still showed good performance.
His momentum was completely reversed only after Lee joined the team. In place of Lee Young-jae in the 20th minute of the second half, Lee Seung-woo played close to the central striker. In the 25th minute of the second half, he managed to salvage the ball that was about to go out of the goal line at the right half-space, helping Andrigo score an additional goal.
He also scored himself. Two minutes into extra time in the second half, he took over the ball from the left side and scored a fantastic shot towards the right side of the goal. Lee smiled at the surprising score, but soon recovered his calmness and displayed restraint from celebrating against his former team. Lee focused on the match by helping Hernandez score his sixth point through a 2-1 pass at the fifth minute of extra time in the second half.
Lee said it felt strange to score against Suwon. “I have an important schedule left, and the players are aware of it. I am glad that I won the away match against Suwon FC, which is not easy,” Lee said at a press conference after the match. “It was awkward since I first came here, and it was my first time to have an away match. I played only for Suwon FC in the K-League, but it feels awkward as well.”
He also greeted his fans and teammates of Suwon FC after a long time. “It was a shame that I left Suwon FC after an away game. I wanted to talk more with the fans at home. It was nice to see them after a long time, and I asked them to continue supporting Suwon FC, and I was so grateful that the fans enjoyed welcoming them,” Lee said. “I was in the locker room of Suwon FC before the game and greeted them lightly. Even after the game, I greeted them lightly. Rather than resenting them, they congratulated me as a player with the same job.” 안전놀이터
Jeonbuk had an advantage with a landslide victory, but Daejeon Hana Citizen and Daegu FC also had wins this time, failing to move away from the relegation zone. “I don’t know. We should produce results that we have to produce and look at other teams rather than thinking about other teams,” Lee said in a mature manner.
Coach Kim Doo-hyun expressed his great satisfaction after the game, saying, “North Jeolla Province’s performance is gradually getting better.” The game seemed to give him confidence that he could gain an advantage in the remaining competition in the future due to his enhanced teamwork and enhanced offense. In other words, the “contents” that coach Kim wanted since his inauguration are gradually imbued.
Lee Seung-woo also admitted that he should continue to make efforts to realize Kim’s soccer. “Jeonbuk Hyundai is a team that has to lose three to five times throughout a season. Players’ pride has also been hurt a lot in their current position. If we keep up with the soccer that the coach wants, good results will come out,” Lee said. “We are adapting well to Jeonbuk. We are getting to know each other because many new players are here. The coaching staff and coaches are teaching the players how to play, and the players have been training nonstop. It felt great to be rewarded, and I look forward to the game even more.”
Regarding Hernandez’s last goal scene, he said, “I knew Hernandez passed so I could score a goal, so I wanted to give the ball to Hernandez at the end,” adding, “When I watched the Jeonbuk game before transferring to Jeonbuk, I think the players played selfishly. If you give the ball to a player in a better position, score a goal and win, that creates synergy. The coach also wants that, and when I first came here, I ordered synergy rather than goals,” expressing his attitude toward the team.
Coach Kim said he would actively use Lee in the future. “As you know, he has high soccer intelligence and excellent ability to produce points in offensive areas. If you have space, you will get many flashes. We need to make the most of it. We also need to keep pace with Lee so that he can play smoothly while increasing the duration of the game,” he said in a press conference after the game.
Lee responded with humility. “It is true that I want to play as many hours as possible in all games. However, winning is more important for us than whether we will participate in a match. We want to build a good team by respecting each other and playing a healthy competition,” Lee said. “Of course, I am upset and annoyed that we couldn’t play in games, but before training or games, players jokingly say, ‘If we play well, we will continue to play as starters. All the players on the bench are hungry.’ That’s why everyone seems to be playing hard. No matter who plays, Jeonbuk has a squad that does not show any gap, so I am also waiting on the bench.”