“I feel reassured rather than burdened.”
Daejeon Hana Citizen, the ‘special football city’, is in a strong wind. Overcoming concerns about being promoted to the K-League 2 (2nd division), they are running in 3rd place, earning 14 points by the 7th round.
The match against first place Ulsan Hyundai메이저사이트 (18 points) held at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 16th was truly a match. Three goals were scored in the first half alone. The attack-oriented stance of each other’s quick offense and defense made me feel the ‘taste of seeing’. The 16,359 spectators were excited and fell into a wave of enthusiastic cheering.
With Daejeon winning 2-1, Hanbatbee went into a frenzy. Victory firecrackers exploded and fans cheered outside the stadium. Chungcheong people are called quiet, but many responded that they would come again because the team was having fun. A group of men in their 50s who were eating at a restaurant near Wolpyeong Station in Daejeon, not far from the stadium, said, “I heard you won today,” “I heard you won today,” “You said you were ranked third,” and “You’re better than Hanwha. I have to go.” exchanged words.
What is certain is that the football provided by Daejeon is giving joy and joy to the citizens of Daejeon. In the 9th minute of the first half, Lee Jin-hyeon (26) opened the scoring with his sharp left foot, and Lee Hyun-shik’s winning goal in extra time was the fruit of a quick pass. In the second half, Daejeon fans felt thrilled as Ulsan shot on the post and goalkeeper Lee Chang-geun saved the shot.
Lee Jin-hyun, who scored the opening goal, felt grateful for the atmosphere created by the fans. Lee Jin-hyun, who we met after the game, said, “(Aggressive game management) is originally the football that Daejeon pursues. I think it’s the direction,” he promised to impress fans by creating football that brings victories through fierce attacks.
Of course, it is necessary to adjust the content depending on the opponent and personality, but Lee Jin-hyun’s idea is that at least the aggressive game management will not be shaken. He said, “In my personal opinion, if you get down and run a defensive game, you will face a crisis. I think it is more helpful to just go out and compete and defend while away from the goal post. Even if you look at Europe, everyone puts strong pressure on the front. Only when you release it from there will the audience enjoy it,” he said, adding that he would attack the opponent with the basic framework of ‘forward forward’.
Lee Jin-hyun played in Vienna (Austria) in 2017 and has experience in the European Football Federation Europa League (UEL). He also remembers starting the game against AC Milan. He has experienced the heat of Europe even briefly and has a strong will to play on the big stage, to the extent that he even went through a test for Legia Warsaw (Poland) before the start of this season.
So, Lee Jin-hyun’s idea is that no matter how strong the opponent is, if the breathing is well matched, it is possible to subdue the opponent with the atmosphere. He said, “Veterans, including Sejong hyung, are well aware of that. ) Bae Jun-ho has great talent. If he develops game management skills and composure in front of the goal, he will become a great player.”
In 2003, when Daejeon was a ‘citizen club’ Daejeon Citizen, there are past examples of a city where spectators come on their own if the content and results are good, such as the K-League average attendance, 1st place in home win rate, and the record for the highest number of spectators during the week. Although it was a time when paid spectators were not counted, it was not a meaningless figure. The average attendance this year is 14,850. This is the second highest figure after FC Seoul and Ulsan Hyundai.
He said, “The players are also surprised that a lot of spectators come to each game. We take it for granted that if we show good performance and play fun football, a lot of spectators come. Also, many fans will show the players a good game. It leads to the idea that it can be done,” he said, saying that there is a virtuous cycle effect.
That’s why Lee Jin-hyun says that after meeting all 11 clubs, it’s important. He explained that consistent performance must come out, saying, “I think the opposing teams have not yet completed the analysis of the match. After meeting all of them, it is important how the opponents come out.”
Above all else, survival is essential as it is a promoted team. If you play 33 games and enter the Final A (1st to 6th place), it is the best achievement. It’s because director Lee Min-seong said, “every day is survival.”
That is why I am grateful for the existence of Hana Financial Group, a reliable parent company. It’s because you make sure you do it the moment you have to spend. Lee Jin-hyun is also a person who has benefited from support from Hana Financial Group. When he failed to join Warsaw, the club immediately caught on.
He said, “I feel reassured rather than burdened (by the existence of the parent company). Regardless of whether the match results are good or bad, they always give a lot of support from the side.” I don’t think so. I don’t think I’ll be standing shoulder to shoulder with those clubs in the near future,” he said, not forgetting his gratitude, saying that he is playing soccer without worrying because he has a clear support presence.
Daejeon has home games against Jeju United on the 30th and Suwon FC on May 10th. It is evaluated that the opposing team is somewhat inferior in terms of crowd mobilization, but if the support of the home fans is maintained and the performance is good, it is predicted that it will be possible to defend the upper rank of the average crowd.