Kim Ki-dong of Pohang, Commanded his First Win,
Kim Ki-dong of Pohang, Who Commanded his First Win, Said, “I Ordered a 4-2 Win… Just Like That!”
Won the FA Cup with a huge upset over Jeonbuk in the final
“We came this far by creating soccer that the players will enjoy”
“I said we should win 4-2, but I didn’t know the players would keep their promise so well! Hahaha!”
Kim Ki-dong, coach of the Pohang Steelers of the K-League 1 professional soccer team, repeatedly emphasized that the foundation for leading the team to its first championship was the infinite trust in the players.
Pohang won 4-2 in the 2023 Hana One Q Korea Football Association FA Cup final against Jeonbuk Hyundai held at the Pohang Steel Yard on the 4th, winning its fifth title and first in 10 years.
It is a very meaningful win not only for the club but also for coach Kim Ki-dong.
Coach Kim Ki-dong, who has led Pohang since 2019, has received favorable reviews for exceeding expectations in each season.
But he has never won. 안전놀이터
In 2021, they reached the finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL), but lost 0-2 to Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) and finished as runners-up.
Coach Kim Ki-dong, who attended the press conference after the game, said, “I came here while thinking about how the players could enjoy playing soccer.
People around me said, 'That alone is not enough, you have to win to take the next step.'
“I paid it, but it didn’t happen just because I wanted to.”
He continued, “We were able to win because the players followed us well.
I think the priority is to make efforts to play good soccer with the players.”
Coach Kim Ki-dong is said to have continued to show his trust in his players ahead of the final.
They even gave 'instructions' to create a specific final score.
In 2013, when Pohang last won the FA Cup, they won 4-2 in the semifinals and a penalty shootout in the final.
In this year's tournament, they won against Jeju in a penalty shootout in the semifinals, and beat Jeonbuk 4-2 in the final.
It is said that he jokingly told me to throw it away.
Coach Kim Ki-dong said, “I wasn’t satisfied with today’s performance, but I praise them for their cohesion,” and laughed out loud, adding, “I didn’t expect the players to keep their promise (4-2 win) so well.”
He added, “I told the players to trust me unconditionally because I thought we would win.
Because I trusted the players and I believed in myself.
I think I played the game calmly.”
The team could have been in turmoil due to the 'substitution mistake incident' that occurred in the K League 1 match against Jeonbuk last weekend (1-1 draw).
Jeonbuk requested the Korea Professional Football League to forfeit Pohang's 0-3 loss.
Coach Kim Ki-dong said, “We just said that we had to focus on the game in order to achieve the result (win) we were aiming for,” and emphasized that he did not mention the incident in front of the players.
He continued, “I thought it would go well because there were overseas and domestic cases.”
With this win, Pohang also qualifies for the 2024-2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE).
Korea was given a total of three ACLE spots, but there are arguments that all three spots should be distributed according to K League 1 performance rather than giving the right to the FA Cup winning team, so there is a possibility that the method of allocating spots will change from the 2025-2026 season.
Regarding this, Coach Kim said, “The FA Cup is a prestigious competition that encompasses both amateurs and professionals.
There is room for further growth of the competition.
The prize money could be increased further,” adding, “It is right for the team that wins here to go to Champions League Elite. “I think so,” he said.
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