Hwang Seon-hong’s overwhelming performance, which was unveiled, sent not only the opposing Kuwait team but also the Chinese volunteers into a ‘mental breakdown.’
The Asian Games national team, led by coach Hwang Seon-hong, won 9-0 in the first match of Group E of the men’s soccer group stage of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games against Kuwait held at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium in Jinhua, China on the 19th (Korean time). Jung Woo-young’s hat trick, Jo Young-wook’s 2 goals, and Baek Seung-ho, Eom Won-sang, Park Jae-yong, and Ahn Jae-jun added 1 goal each, resulting in an overwhelming victory in the first game of the tournament.
The game against Kuwait is the first time the current members have played a real game. In fact, the veil was lifted in the first game of the competition. Considering that key midfielder Lee Kang-in has not yet joined, the national team’s performance is expected to improve further.
Even without Lee Kang-in, it was enough to shock Kuwait and the Chinese. Kuwait, who had locked down their team with a back five, fought back after conceding a quick goal, but fell short after conceding an additional goal. Nevertheless, a total of 9 goals were conceded, and Kuwait coach Emilio Paci said after the game, “The level was different.메이저놀이터” Chinese volunteers who watched the game from one side of the stadium also widened their eyes when they saw the number 9-0 written on the electronic display.
It was that overwhelming. The national team quickly scored the first goal and took the lead. In the 3rd minute of the first half, Jung Woo-young hit the opponent’s defense body on the left side of the box and pushed in a deflected ball with a right-footed volley. In the 19th minute of the first half, Cho Young-wook scored an additional goal. Eom Won-sang, who received a long pass from behind, broke the defensive line and shot, and Cho Young-wook caught the ball that flowed out of the goal post and hit the net with a right-footed shot.
At the end of the first half, Baek Seung-ho and Jung Woo-young scored consecutive goals. Captain Baek Seung-ho, who was selected as a wild card for this tournament and participated as captain, made it 3-0 with a fantastic free kick in the 44th minute of the first half. Just before the end of the first half, Jung Woo-young calmly pushed it into the corner of the goal in a one-on-one situation in the box to make it 4-0.
The national team, which scored four goals in the first half, put on a firepower show in the second half as well. When the goalkeeper blocked Cho Young-wook’s shot in the 3rd minute of the second half, Jung Woo-young kicked it back to complete the hat trick. In the 7th minute of the second half, even Eom Won-sang scored a goal. He took Cho Young-wook’s pass and hit the net with a shot that slightly changed direction with his left foot.
The national team, which had been quiet, continued its scoring streak again with Cho Young-wook scoring multiple goals in the 29th minute of the second half. In the 35th minute of the second half, substitute Park Jae-yong scored his 8th goal, further widening the score. In extra time in the second half, Ahn Jae-jun scored the ninth goal after receiving a pass from substitute Hong Hyun-seok, putting an end to the huge win.
The voices of the Chinese spectators cheering for Kuwait could not be heard during the game. The voices of Koreans cheering for the national team rang even louder. The Chinese, who participated as volunteers in the tournament, let out a gasp every time Korea scored, and showed disbelief when the score was 9-0 on the electronic scoreboard after Ahn Jae-jun scored just before the end of the game.
Coach Pacey accepted the significant difference in level. At the post-game press conference, he applauded, saying, “Korea had more experience. It was a team that played really professionally,” and “It was a team of a completely different level than us.”
He added that he was impressed with the national team’s performance, saying “We came to this competition not to win, but to build a team. We faced a professional team.”
He also encouraged the Kuwaiti players by saying, “We found many problems with our team. But I am proud of our players who fought against the Korean players. If we have the opportunity to face Korea again in the future, we can win that game. I can say this for sure.” did.