Kim Ki-dong wins ‘first trophy of his career’ with 4-2 win over Jeonbuk “It was a dream moment…the players, not me”

Head coach Kim Ki-dong reveals the story behind the substitution.

The Pohang Steelers came from behind to defeat Jeonbuk Hyundai 4-2 in the final of the 2023 Hana OneQ Korea Football Association (FA Cup) at Pohang Steelyard at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday. In doing so, Pohang celebrated its 50th anniversary.

It was also the first time in 10 years that the club had reached the top flight since 2013. Déjà vu. In the 2013 edition of the competition, Pohang also defeated Jeju United in the quarterfinals and met Jeonbuk in the final. The two teams were tied 1-1 in regulation time before the final went to penalties, where Pohang won the title.

Pohang took home five stars. With the win, Pohang became the fifth team to win the FA Cup. This ties them with Jeonbuk and Suwon Samsung for the most wins. Pohang won their first title in 1986 and went on to win the trophy in 1988, 1992, 2007, 2013, and 2023.

Pohang conceded an early goal to start the game. In the 16th minute, they conceded the first goal of the match to Song Min-kyu. However, coach Kim Ki-dong changed the positions of the left flank, wing forward and wing back to bring about a change of pace. Eventually, Han Chan-hee equalized in the 44th minute to end the first half at 1-1.

The second half didn’t start well either. Five minutes into the second half, the team conceded a penalty kick (PK) to Gustavo. However, Pohang didn’t give up. Coach Kim Ki-dong immediately made a substitution in the 11th minute of the second half, taking off Shin Kwang-hoon and Kim In-sung and putting in Shim Sang-min and Hong Yun-sang. They immediately capitalized on the opportunity. In the midst of a scramble, Hong Yun-sang took a shot, but the goalkeeper blocked it.

It was a perfect change of pace. The balance was quickly restored. In the 30th minute of the second half, the Jeonbuk defense cleared a cutback from the left flank by Hong Yun-sang. The ball flowed back to Ko Young-joon, who trapped the ball in his chest and volleyed it into the net to tie the game once again.

Pohang didn’t let the momentum slip away and eventually pulled ahead. In the 33rd minute of the second half, Kim Jong-woo, who received the ball in the midfield, shot with his left foot after a fantastic turn. It hit the wedge goal. In second-half stoppage time, substitute Hong Yun-sang broke through from the left flank and fired a powerful right-footed shot that rattled the opposite net. In the end, Pohang won the match 4-2 and became the first team to win the FA Cup.

Coach Kim Ki-dong’s substitutions shined. From the time he introduced Shim Sang-min and Hong Yun-sang in the 11th minute of the second half, Pohang pushed hard and eventually scored three goals to win 4-2.

After the press conference, Pohang officials requested a mix zone on the field due to time constraints. The players were enjoying their time on the large field, congratulating each other on their victory, while coach Kim Ki-dong looked on in delight. 무지개토토

Once again, he gave a short interview to the press. Kim Ki-dong revealed that he understood the flow of the game and prepared for the substitutions to bring the atmosphere at the right time. “I was going to make the substitution right after the end of the first half, but they scored the equalizer at the end of the first half, so I told them to wait for another 15 minutes,” he said, laughing heartily.