Recap: Emotional Night for Daegu with a Thrilling 3-0 Win over Gimcheon | OneFootball

Struggling Daegu FC, who had been winless for the last eight games, have finally tasted the sweetness of the three points after they beat one of the title contenders Gimcheon Sangmu in style at home this Friday. With this vital win, the Sky Blues keep their hope alive in the relegation battle. Daegu FC correspondent Muyeol Jung reviewed the memorable night at DGB Daegu Bank Park with the story shared in the press conference after the game.

What Happened?

The visitors started to take the initiative from the beginning by threatening Daegu’s goal by whipping balls into the box with some effort from distance. The hosts slowly grew into the game and came very close to opening the scoring when Hwang Jaewon went around Gimcheon’s debutant goalkeeper.

During half-time, Daegu boss Park Changhyun took Barcelos and Ko Myeongseok off for Park Yonghui and Park Jinyoung while Gimcheon manager Chung Jungyong revitalised his side with Park Sanghyeok and Lee Donggyeong replacing Maeng Sungwoong and Yoo Ganghyun.

Ten minutes into the second half, the visitors almost took the opportunity to go ahead as substitute Park earned a penalty kick for the visitors. However, it was the hosts in the end that turned that into a chance by surviving this in the end. Former Daegu forward Kim Daewon stepped up to take it but Daegu’s guardian Oh Seunghoon reached his hand out to the ball and kept it away. His heroic behaviours didn’t stop there. Following the corner kick, he gathered the ball and sent it to the front line without hesitation which led to Cesinha’s solo goal.

While the home fans were still enjoying the lead through a turn of events, things got even better in a matter of minutes; Jung Chiin, who returned to Daegu from Gimcheon after finishing his military service, scored the second of the night in the 60th minute and escalated the noise level to its maximum.

Despite the two-goal deficiency, the military boys were not intimidated at all and kept on moving forward to get back in the game. It was probably the Daegu’s defensive capability in doubt, but their attacking talents were looking too great for Daegu to hold tight. The visitors easily got into the box through individual effort and one-two plays, but some heroic efforts from Daegu’s defenders and shot-stopper Oh denied the visitors. Towards the end of the second half, Daegu’s talisman Cesinha penalised Gimcheon’s mistake inside the box and put the game beyond doubt in a 3-0 win.

Stories in the Press Conference

The visitors’ boss Chung Jungyong came to the interview room and he admitted to the defeat but did not forget to thank his boys and fans for not giving up till the end. He told the press “Our boys did their best tonight, but the result didn’t come along, and I appreciate their efforts until the last minute to threaten the opponent”. On a question about the back-to-back defeats, he said “I think it’s an early warning sign that we need to take seriously. Despite the defeat, technically our performance wasn’t that bad. But football is the result business. My backroom staff and I will work hard to turn things around by putting our heads together”.

Meanwhile, the hosts’ boss Park Changhyun gave his honest thoughts in excitement as well as in emotion. First, he paid all the credit to his boys, backroom staff, supporting staff, and even his wife for sticking together in a difficult situation[eight-game winless streak]. He also thanked fans for being patient with the club, awaiting this moment.

This win is something that all at Daegu FC have waited long for and the last time Daegu won was eight games ago when they beat Jeonbuk at home in a 3-0 win. On a question about whether he was concerned about Cesinha on the scoresheet, the manager revealed that summer signing Italo[remained as an unused sub] is having a difficult time adapting to Korean football, but he remains hopeful that the Brazilian would thrive soon.

K League’s and Daegu’s legend Cesinha also calmly expressed his thoughts on the result by saying “We knew it’d be a difficult game to play against Gimcheon but we responded very well in the second half. I think without Oh Seunghoon’s save that denied Kim Daewon’s spot kick right before Cesinha opened the scoring, this win would have never been possible and I’d like to give all the credit to him”.

The Brazilian also delivered the messages out to the fans that “we understand why fans give us a boo and jeer when we don’t get the result, but we[our boys] also feel the same[about the results] and we are working hard to get the results on and off the pitch. As someone who has been in the club for the last nine years, I always say ‘We go through everything as a team and family’. Please be patient and come and get behind us then we will get there”.

In the meantime, Daegu’s shot-stopper Oh Seunghoon met journalists in front of cameras and shared what went through his mind during the difficult time as an experienced player with them. Although he was heroic for today’s win, his recent performance including what it was in the first half today was eyebrow-raising with some slippery hands. He said, “I was also very worried and nervous after I made some silly errors in the first half and I kept on telling myself that I’d need to be focused on”. When he was asked about his thoughts on Cesinha’s remark [credit to Oh], he jokingly said “Of course it is” and continued saying that “I did a great job, but without Cesinha, the game would have ended in stalemate. So I am thankful to Cesinha and Jung Chiin for this win.”

The last man speaking to the press was Jung Chiin. The forward has been with Daegu since 2016, but he was getting close to breaking the first team but never made any impression before he went on to serve his military duty with Gimcheon in 2023. The forward returned to Daegu mid-July after finishing his duty and faced his former club in a month. He said, “I am very happy to score at home and satisfied that I could help the team win today”. On a question about what it was like to play against Gimcheon again, he said “It felt a bit weird and after the game, Gimcheon boss Chung came and mischievously congratulated me”.

In hindsight, his goal[second of tonight] was vital for Dageu’s thrilling win as Daegu could have lost their lead very easily considering how dangerous Gimcheon are and they were true. He also admitted that “this goal could be the most important and decisive goal I have ever scored in my professional career [He scored nine excluding today’s goal and two of which were with Daegu before he joined Gimcheon] and other teammates also told me that without it the game could have gone in a different direction”.

The Korean forward appears to have shock to the system by transferring in the middle of the season from Gimcheon, one of the league title contenders to Daegu, fighting for survival in the relegation. He revealed by saying “I was having some nightmares in the night with pressure and stress but I would be able to have a very good night today”.

What's Next?

Daegu FC will make a short trip to the east coast to face another league title contender Pohang Steelers. Gimcheon will be at Daejeon to break the chain of the back to back defeats next weekend.