Chung Jae-hee-Go Young-joon Neat decision-making in Saitama as Pohang defeats Urawa 2-0… 3 straight wins to stay in first place
‘Strolling Ceremony’ Restaurants At Saitama Stadium in Japan, the Pohang Steelers demonstrated the power of the ‘Steel Taka’.
Pohang defeated Urawa Reds (Japan) 2-0 in the third match of Group J of the 2023-24 Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan, on Thursday to remain atop the standings with three wins and nine points.
Pohang, who won 4-2 against Hanoi FC (Vietnam) and 3-1 against Wuhan Sanjin (China), not only showed off their scoring prowess but also defended well. Urawa has one win, one draw and one loss (four points) and could slip to third place depending on the Wuhan-Hanoi result.
Pohang fought through the loss of Oberdan and Wandelsson to injury. Aside from frontline striker Zeca, Jung Jae-hee, Young-joon Kim, and Seung-dae Kim are the attacking two, with Kim Jong-woo and Han Chan-hee supporting in central midfield. The defense was Shin Kwang-hoon, Ha Chang-rae, Park Chan-yong, and Park Seung-wook, with Hwang In-jae in goal.
Urawa is in third place in the Japanese J-League with 53 points after 30 rounds. While their offense is not explosive, their defense is solid enough to rank first in fewest goals conceded (22). Pohang needed an effective offense.
When the lid was lifted, Pohang showed the same style of play against Urawa that they have shown in the past, with perfect passes to finish off attacks. It felt like the teams had switched sides, and Kim Ki-dong’s attention to detail in knowing what to do in each zone was evident.
Aside from one shot by Yatsui Keito in the ninth minute of the first half, Pohang was the more aggressive team. Multiplayer Shin Kwang-hoon was cautioned for tight defense, but it wasn’t a bad move. They distributed the ball from the flanks to the center, looking for a crack, and it paid off in the 22nd minute. After receiving a pass from Park Seung-wook, Kim Seung-dae dribbled down the left flank, drew the attention of the defense, and quickly crossed to the center of the penalty area, where Zeke slipped forward to receive it, and Jung Jae-hee, who was running from behind, switched to his right foot in front of the defender to rattle the net.
However, a sudden injury to Jung Jae-hee in the 30th minute created difficulties, and the speedy Kim In-sung was brought in as an emergency. Kim continued to penetrate the right flank and rattled the Urawa defense. On a counterattack in the 45th minute, Kim In-sung received a pass from Ko Young-joon and attempted a low, grounded left-footed shot, but it went wide of the post.
After the start of the second half, Urawa tried to make a change by bringing on Shoya Nakajima and Hiroki Sakai, but Pohang had midfielder Ko Young-jun, who received military service benefits for his gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. In the fourth minute, a move shook the Urawa defense, and after Kim In-sung broke down the right flank and passed to the center, Ko Young-joon hit a left-footed ground ball that deflected off the post and into the net.도메인
Urawa showed its determination to make a comeback by adding Tomoaki Okubo, Takehiro Akimoto, and Ken Iwao in the 14th, 24th, and 31st minutes, respectively. Pohang also took off Kim Jong-woo and Zekka in the 35th minute and added Kim Jun-ho and Lee Ho-jae to grease the skids.
Despite being ruled offside, Hwang In-jae saved Okubo’s volley in the 23rd minute, which showed how focused the team was. In the 36th minute, Ko Young-jun tried to get a shot over the keeper’s head, but it was blocked by a hand and he was unable to connect with the goal.
As Pohang’s pressure continued to be consistent, Urawa tried to create something with crosses from the left and right flanks, but nothing was going his way. Pohang increased their defensive numbers as the 40th minute passed. Urawa was not able to complete his passes, which he is good at, and attacking through crosses did not work at all.
Six minutes of extra time were awarded. Pohang only needed to maintain their calm performance and speed. Urawa kept trying to cross into the center of the field in a hurry, but the defense was as solid as concrete. There was no more wiggle room, and Pohang won.
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