“Maybe I’m the one”…Hong Yun-sang’s ‘fantastic wedge’ gives Pohang the FA Cup

After scoring a fantastic wedge goal to win the Korean Football Association (FA) Cup, Hong Yun-sang was full of confidence after the game.

The Pohang Steelers lifted the FA Cup for the first time in 10 years with a 4-2 victory over Jeonbuk Hyundai on Thursday at Pohang Steelyard in the 2023 Hana OneQ FA Cup final.

Pohang pulled off a thrilling upset. After Song Min-kyu scored the first goal in the 17th minute, Han Chan-hee equalized in the 44th minute, Gustavo took the lead again with a penalty kick goal in the sixth minute, Zeca restored the lead in the 29th minute, and Kim Jong-woo completed the comeback in the 33rd minute with a shot following a fantastic turnover.

It was Hong Yun-sang who drove a wedge into the game. In the second half of stoppage time, Hong Yun-sang passed to Ko Young-joon near the right touchline and drove into the center of the box, where he picked up a spilled ball from Shim Sang-min and fired a right-footed curling shot into the penalty box. The ball hit goalkeeper Kim Jung-hoon’s hand and the crossbar before being sucked into the goal.

Hong attributed the goal to his confidence. While celebrating the victory on the field after the game, he told reporters, “I had some pressure because I scored two goals in a row after my debut in Pohang and was quiet for a while,” but he also said, “I was confident before the game and I was confident when I kicked it. I think it was a goal born of confidence.”

He also talked about scoring the goal that put the finishing touches on the match, saying, “After the game, everyone said, ‘He’s going to be the one. Maybe I’m the one. I’ve always been confident in big games. I feel like I’ve done my job in every game, and I feel like I can do a lot of better things next time,” he smiles confidently.

Another source of oozing confidence was head coach Kim Ki-dong. Kim brought on Hong Yun-sang as a substitute in the 11th minute of the second half to bring the game back into Pohang’s favor and secure the FA Cup victory.

“The coach always tells me to be confident and do what I want to do, but I just need to focus on defense and adjust to the team. So today, I did what I wanted to do. The FA Cup final is the stage I dreamed of, and I think the thought of lifting the trophy as a Pohang player made me play more easily and feel lighter,” he smiled.

For any athlete, winning a championship is an important milestone in their career. Especially for young players like Hong Yun-sang, it can be a decisive step in their development as a player. 토토사이트

Hong Yunsang felt the same way. “I’m so grateful that I was able to make Pohang’s history in just half a season after joining the team,” he said. “I heard from the coach and my brothers that there are many players who retired without winning a trophy as a soccer player, so this final was really important to me. I’ve dreamed of winning a trophy with Pohang since I was a kid, and I grew up watching Pohang win, so today’s victory is really meaningful and will give me confidence as a soccer player in the future,” he added happily.