While Hwang Sun-hong is cruising to gold, we caught up with Song Min-gyu (24, Jeonbuk), who has yet to play a game. He’s ready to go, and now he’s got his sights set on the goal.
바카라사이트The Korean Asian Games team, led by Hwang Sun-hong, kicked off training at 8 p.m. ET on Aug. 23 at Jinhua No. 1 Middle School in Jinhua, China.
After securing first place in Group E with a 9-0 win over Kuwait in the first match and a 4-0 win over Thailand in the second match, Hwang will play the third match against Bahrain at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium on the 24th.
[OSEN=Jinhua (China), Reporter Jung Seung-woo]
Song Min-kyu, who was interviewed by reporters before the team’s first training session, was asked about coach Hwang Sun-hong. He had spoken with Hwang separately during training on the 22nd. “First of all, he asked me how I was feeling, so I told him that I had almost recovered without any pain,” Song said.
“He also asked me if I could play in the next game, so I said yes. We had this conversation,” he added.
Captains Baek Seung-ho and Park Jin-seop, who started both the first and second games, played well. Their teammate Song Min-kyu, who plays for Jeonbuk Hyundai, did not play a single game due to injury. “Of course, I was very eager to play from the first game,” he said, “but I was also very disappointed that I wasn’t in good shape. I wanted to play again in the second game, but when I talked to him, he said that he wanted me to play in full physical condition and not overdo it, so I watched the game with more patience.”
“I kept thinking that if my body gets better and I get to play again, our players are doing a good job, so I have to adapt to that,” Song said.
[OSEN=Jinhua (China), Kyuhan Choi] On the afternoon of September 21, the men’s soccer group E match between South Korea and Thailand at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games was held at the Jinhua Stadium in China.
“The coach’s demands for our strikers are firm, such as back-space movement and determination, so I’m not worried because I’ve been adjusting to them since Korea,” said Song Min-gyu, who insisted that he was able to play right away despite missing the first and second games.
In the first game of the tournament, Jung Woo-young and Cho Young-wook scored hat tricks and multi-goal games respectively. In the second game, Uhm Won-sang also tasted goal. Not greedy. Song Min-kyu said, “Of course, if you’re a striker, you have to have the desire and confidence to score goals. If I get to play another game, I will definitely do my best to score a goal. I will try to continue this good mood and do even better.”
Coach Hwang Sun-hong has repeatedly emphasized composure. After the 9-0 win in the first leg, he was so adamant that he said, “There is no such thing as this game.” What is the mood of the team now that they have clinched first place in the group?
Song Min-kyu said, “We’re not excited about finishing first in the group. We haven’t reached our goal yet. We are still in the process, so each game is very important to us and we always think of it as a final. The players also talked to each other before the game against Bahrain about the fact that even though we have qualified for the round of 16, we have to play with the mindset of winning, and the coach has reinforced that.”
“Of course, the mood is good, but we will prepare well for the next game,” he added.
Hwang Sun-hong has scored 13 goals in two games without Song Min-gyu. “I was very disappointed that I didn’t get to play, but it’s not like I can play just because I want to play, and we came here with one goal, which is to win another gold medal. It would be great if I could play, but even if I couldn’t, I did my best to support the team from the sidelines. The players showed that on the field, so we will shake off the disappointment and do even better.”
Hwang also emphasized the importance of communication between the players and the coaching staff and between the players and the manager. “The coach always listens to the players, and not only the coach but all of our coaching staff respect the players’ opinions. In terms of set pieces, offense, etc., the coach listens to what the players want, and he keeps asking them and tries to keep talking to them,” he said, emphasizing that there is good communication.
[OSEN=Jinhua (China), Kyuhan Choi] On the afternoon of Sept. 21, the men’s soccer group E match between South Korea and Thailand at the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games was held at the Jinhua Stadium in China. Park Jin-seop of South Korea is greeted by Hwang Sun-hong after being substituted in the second half.
“The wild card brothers (Baek Seung-ho, Park Jin-seop, and Seol Young-woo) have been collecting the opinions of our younger players and talking to the manager and coaching staff,” Song said.
[OSEN=Jinhua (China), Kyuhan Choi] Hwang Seon-hong’s side booked their place in the round of 16 with a win over Thailand.Hwang Seon-hong’s South Korean Asian Games team cruised to a 4-0 victory over Thailand in their second Group E match of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium in Jinhua, China, at 8:30 p.m. on Monday (June 21). With two wins and six points from a 9-0 first-leg victory over Kuwait, South Korea secured top spot in the group and an early round of 16 berth regardless of the outcome of their third-leg match against Bahrain.South Korea’s Song Min-gyu and Lee Kang-in celebrate after the match. 2023.09.21 / dreamer@osen.co.kr
Song Min-kyu was one of the players most seen joking around with Lee Kang-in, who joined the team 21 days late. “He asked me why I kept playing instead of working out, and I said, ‘I’m not playing, my brother is sick…’ I just joked with him about that. He said, ‘Come back soon,’ and ‘Play a game soon,’ so I’m trying to get in good shape. I’m having fun,” he said.
What is the difference between Baek Seung-ho and Hwang Sun-hong’s captain, Baek Seung-ho, in the eyes of the team? “Seung-ho is a captain from Jeonbuk. I’ve seen him play with the captain’s armband a lot, so I’m not unfamiliar with him.”
However, Song Mingyu said, “I’m used to it, but it’s a little different from when I was in Jeonbuk and when I’m here. When I was in Jeonbuk, I was still a bit stronger and angrier. But here, because we are so young, he listens to the players’ opinions and adjusts everything rather than getting angry. I think Seung-ho is doing a good job in this role,” he explained.
On the second day of training on the 18th, the weather in Jinhua reached 37℃ even at 8pm when the sun went down. Recently, however, the weather has begun to warm up dramatically, and by the time the team trained on the 23rd, it was a cool 24°C. “In a way, it can be a good thing,” says Song, “because all the teams have the same conditions. We came here thinking it would be really hot. Now it’s a little chilly, so I think it’s working in our favor in terms of the weather.”