Lee Chang-geun, the guardian of Daejeon, expressed his affection for the team after the victory against Ulsan and recommended Lee Hyun-sik to Klinsman.
Daejeon Hana Citizen, 메이저놀이터led by coach Lee Min-seong, won 2-1 at Ulsan Hyundai in the 7th round of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 held at Daejeon World Cup Stadium at 4:30 pm on the 16th. In Daejeon, Lee Jin-hyeon scored the first goal in the 9th minute of the first half, and Lee Hyun-sik shook the net in the 1st minute of extra time in the first half. In the 18th minute of the first half, Rubikson scored an equalizer for Ulsan, but there was no additional goal.
Ulsan is a team with good firepower, scoring 14 goals in 7 games this season. But against Daejeon, he struggled to score. Lee Chang-geun’s performance was behind Daejeon’s victory.
Lee Chang-geun, who met with reporters after the game, said, “We beat the first place team. Victory always feels good. It seems like we won as a team. It was a game where we could fall into a losing streak, but it feels good to see that we showed competitiveness.”
Ulsan fired 16 shots, 8 of which went inside the goal. Since only one goal was conceded, Lee Chang-geun made 7 saves. The scene where Bako and Rubiksson blocked successive shots at the end of the game was the highlight.
Lee Chang-geun said, “I wanted to help the team a lot. I was also very lucky. I want to applaud the defensive players because the players threw their bodies ahead of me and blocked a lot. The players in the back wait silently and turn it around when they come in, so our team wins. I think I did,” he said modestly.
The previous game, against Suwon FC in the 6th round, was a nightmare. We lost 3-5. Above all, after leading 2-1, the game turned over when a goal was lost in the second half. Manager Lee Min-seong said of Lee Chang-geun’s performance after the Ulsan match, “You have to keep doing that. Strangely, when you score goals, you eat a lot. He is a player with that level of ability.”
When asked if he felt any pressure during the match against Ulsan, Lee Chang-geun said, “It didn’t matter. It was when I was in really good shape. I didn’t get hit and I didn’t have any problems with Ulsan, so I didn’t worry. I did what I always did.”
During the game between Daejeon and Ulsan that day, Doo-Ri Cha, technical advisor of the Korean national team, and coach Michael Kim came to watch the match. It is interpreted as an observation to cover the boulders that can be included in the current national team and the team in the future.
Lee Chang-geun has experience of digesting one A-match after being selected by former coach Paulo Bento in 2020. He said, “There is (Kim) Seung-gyu and (Cho) Hyeon-woo. Of course, there is a third place, but I want to play an active role in Daejeon.
He said, “There are (Co) Sejong hyung, (Lee) Hyunsik, and (Lee) Jinhyeoni as players worthy of going to the national team. Among them, Hyunsik is a player we really need in our team in any position. Hyunsik in this team is a great help to the team. I would like to recommend Hyunsik.”