Reporter Park Jae-ho = Can Hwang Eui-jo (30, FC Seoul) become a hidden card for Iksu Ball?
Seoul won 2-1 in the home game against Incheon United in the opening game of the ‘2023 Hana One Q K League 1’ held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 25th, thanks to the goals of Lim Sang-hyup and Kim Joo-sung. This ended the 6-game draw (3 draws, 3 losses) of the ‘Gyeongin Derby’ against Incheon, which has been going on since March 2021.
On this day, Hwang Eui-jo started out unexpectedly. As he joined from the second winter training in Seoul after failing to play for his former team, Olympiacos, for a while, he was concerned about the deterioration of his sense of practice, but coach Ahn Ik-soo chose the Hwang Ui-jo card. Hwang Ui-jo paired up with his junior Park Dong-jin and stood in the top two striker positions.
He did not show much activity at the beginning of the game as if his body would be less relaxed, but he came back to life in the middle of the first half. Hwang Eui-jo, who was active, fired his first shot in the 38th minute of the first half. He hit a sharp shot with the defense in front from the right outside the penalty box, but goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon hurled his body to block it, leaving me regretful.
In the second half, his movement became more lively. In the 5th minute of the second half, he received Na Sang-ho’s forward pass and shot from the right side of the box, but the goalkeeper blocked it again this time. In the 17th minute of the second half, he hit a mid-range shot from behind the arc circle, but it missed the goal. 스포츠토토
Hwang Ui-jo didn’t score a goal, but he showed decent performance. Two of the three shots were threatening. How would coach Ahn Ik-soo, who chose the Hwang Ui-jo card instead of Ilyuchenko? Coach Ahn said after the game, “I am working hard with the team overcoming difficulties. I was not satisfied, but I will get better.”
The ‘2023 Season Edition Iksu Ball’ that appeared on this day was upgraded than before. Im Sang-hyup, recruited from Pohang, and Na Sang-ho, a side striker of the national team, acted as both wings to quickly take the counterattack situation. Ki Sung-yueng was involved in the build-up in midfield, and Hwang Ui-jo in the forefront hit every opportunity to shoot. The last ‘key’ of Iksu Ball is Hwang Eui-jo.
After the match, I met Hwang Eui-jo in the mixed zone and asked, “Coach Ahn Ik-soo ordered me to score goals in every game, but today I couldn’t score so I wasn’t scolded.” said. He continued, “My condition has improved a lot. I think I will get a better performance if I improve my performance by running in the future.”
