The torrential downpour that enveloped the stadium stopped as soon as the game was over, revealing clear skies. Both teams will remember this fickle weather differently.
Chungnam Asan pulled off a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over FC Anyang in the 31st round of the Hana OneQ K League 2 2023 at Yi Sunshin Sports Complex at 4 p.m. on Sunday. The win ended Chungnam Asan’s three-game losing streak.
The day was clear, although the humidity was high at kickoff. It was even cooler under the shade. The weather forecast didn’t call for rain, except for a few light showers, but in the first half, it started to drizzle and then suddenly turned into a downpour. The ground conditions at Yi Sun-sin Stadium, which have been poor due to constant heavy rainfall this summer, were made worse by the sudden downpour.
Of the four sides of the stadium, only one side, where the headquarters seats are located, is covered by a roof, and even then, only the second floor is protected, causing spectators to move around. The rain continued to fall, and water pooled on the ground. There were water puddles everywhere, making it impossible to pass properly. Dribbling was impossible, and even in contested situations, there were many situations where we couldn’t locate the ball. It was raining so hard that we couldn’t see and made a lot of mistakes.
The heavy rain had a huge impact on the game. Players on both sides had to focus on making long passes to the penalty box and getting a shot off. It was a wild game. Three goals had already been scored in the first half, and two more came early in the second half to give Anyang a 3-2 lead. After the halftime break, it was a close game.
Chungnam Asan had the last laugh. Chungnam Asan equalized in the 45th minute of the second half when Park Dae-hoon’s shot from the edge of the box went in. A minute later, Park Sung-woo’s kick hit the ground and bounced back, but Park failed to catch the drop point and it went straight into the net. The match ended with a back-and-forth drama in favor of Chungnam Asan.
In fact, Chungnam Asan has never been good with the weather. Every home game has been plagued by rain. A Chungnam Asan official said, “It has been raining for six home games in a row. It’s the first time since I’ve been working at Chungnam Asan that it’s been raining every game.” Nevertheless, he was full of smiles after the come-from-behind victory. So were the other Chungnam Asan employees.
Surprisingly, after the game, the rain stopped and the weather cleared. The heavy rain made it difficult to see, but it became sunny. Everyone in the stadium did a double-take when they realized that the sky was clear instead of dark.
“I’ve played in this kind of weather before as a player, but not since I became a coach and took charge of an adult team,” said Lee Woo-hyung. He expressed his disappointment with the team’s recent mood and criticized them for their mistakes.온라인바카라
“I’ve never played a game with so much rain in my soccer career. We won 4-3 in such a dramatic way, which is the first time in my soccer life,” he said.
As seen in the interview, Lee Woo-hyung and Park Dong-hyuk ended the game with completely different emotions in the crazy downpour. Park Dong-hyuk, who scored the theater goal, said, “It was raining so hard and the ground conditions were bad, so I couldn’t do anything about it. So I chose a long pass that was easy to put in the back of the net, and the heavens helped and I was lucky. That’s how we won the game.” “I don’t remember being the center of attention. I wasn’t a player who was in the spotlight a lot, I was a player who played for the team and dedicated myself. Still, if you’re a soccer player, you have dreams. I imagined being the hero of the game and being interviewed in an interview, and that dream became a reality. That was today. I’m so happy,” he said, expressing his emotions.
The fickle weather of September 17, 2023 will be remembered differently by fans, players, and managers of both teams.