It is a ‘nameless battle’. Ulsan Hyundai’s Lee Cheong-yong (35) once again played the role of a ‘game changer’ and led the team’s lead.
In the home game against Gwangju in the 10th round of the ‘Hana One Q K League 1 2023’ held at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on the 30th of last month, Lee Cheong-yong came on as a substitute for Eom Won-sang in the 30th minute of the second half and assisted Ju Min-gyu’s dramatic winning goal in the 45th minute of the second half, and the team won 2-1 come-from-behind. contributed to making
On this day, Ulsan struggled against Gwangju with 12-14 shots and 8-11 effective shots. Head coach Lee Jung-hyo, who leads the ‘promoted team’ Gwangju and boasts an attack-oriented color, did not step down and confronted the leader Ulsan, and even in the ‘away tiger’s cave’. With central midfielders Lee Sun-min and Jung Ho-yeon at the center, they placed a lot of numbers in the second line and harassed Ulsan with strong pressure and flexible passwork. In the 33rd minute of the second half when the score was 0-0, Lee replaced strikers such as Ha Seung-woon and Lee Kang-hyun, and played the ‘game for 3 points’ to the end. In the 36th minute of the second half, Lee Kang-hyun scored the opening goal with a right-footed mid-range shot, and Gwangju seemed to catch a big fish. However, Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo had Lee Cheong-yong. Georgia representative Bakko and him were put in at the same time, and the road to Ulsan attack, which had been blocked, was opened. Lee Chung-yong played only 15 minutes, but made 100% success in 13 passes to the offensive area. Both passes to the penalty box were accurate.
In the end, Ulsan scored an equalizer in the 41st minute of the second half with Bako. Four minutes later, Bako’s shot hit the opponent’s defense and bounced to the right of the penalty arc, and Lee Cheong-yong skillfully saw Joo Min-gyu on the other side and connected it with his head. Ju Min-kyu made the Ulsan bee hot with a goal that overturned the game.
Lee Chung-yong has played 8 games this season, and all of them are playing the role of changing the flow of the game as a substitute. Befitting the nickname ‘soccer guru’, he carefully examines the opponent’s tactics outside and then enters the ground and has a significant impact. In a meeting with this magazine right after the Gwangju match, he said, “Gwangju put a lot of numbers in the center. He watched as he wished he had created a chance through the side. In the second half, I wanted to use Myeong-jae and Young-woo (side defenders) to solve the attack, but it fit well.”
Lee Cheong-yong not only contributed to the score, but also skillfully controlled the fight with the opponent. Some players in Gwangju argued for offside when Joo Min-gyu scored and collided with Ulsan players, but Lee Chung-yong ran to stop it. During this process, Lee Chung-yong pushed Teemo and received a warning, but at the last minute, he came out stronger than usual for fear that his juniors would be involved in the cluttered atmosphere.메이저놀이터
Coincidentally, Lee Cheong-yong was the ‘designated player’ by the opponent’s head before the game. Coach Lee said, “I want to recruit Lee Chung-yong,” and “He is a player who will be of great help to young players when he comes to our team. Because of him, Ulsan players are running with a united goal.” Regarding this, Lee Cheong-yong said, “Thank you for saying that,” and “I confirmed with my own eyes that Gwangju is playing good football.” He said, “Except for one or two teams, most teams in the K-League play soccer with a five-back or a majority of defenders and then counterattacks. After watching that, Gwangju soccer, which aggressively possesses the ball and has a large number of midfielders, was very fresh,” he said. If there are more teams that play soccer like this in the K-League, won’t Korean players learn and grow?” It was a dignified compliment from a veteran. kyi0486@sportsseoul.com