Coach Yoon Jung-hwan “I’m most happy with my first win”
“I’m most happy to get my first win in charge.”
Yoon Jeong-hwan, head coach of Gangwon FC, told reporters at the official press conference immediately after the team’s 2-0 home win over Ulsan Hyundai in the 26th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023 at Gangneung Sports Complex at 7:30 p.m. on December 12.
Gangwon pushed Ulsan hard from the start and scored the opening goal on a quick counterattack. In the 37th minute of the first half, Lee Min-woo scored the first goal. After that, the team focused on defense and held on. However, in the second half of the extra time, they had another counterattack chance and won a penalty kick (PK), and Yago scored a second goal to drive a wedge.
With the win, Gangwon broke out of a long winless streak, reporting their first win in a whopping 16 games. The team also climbed to 11th place (3W, 11D, 12L – 20 points), moving out of the bottom of the table. Gangwon will look to make it two wins in a row when they welcome Suwon FC to Anbang on March 19.
Coach Yoon said at the post-match press conference, “We got our first win since I took over. It was a hard-earned victory,” he said, adding, “I think we made it difficult for Ulsan in the areas where the players played with confidence. Our defense was solid, and we created a lot of chances in the attack. I want to give the ball to the players,” he concluded.
“We will work harder to keep this momentum going. We will prepare well for a week and continue our winning streak in the next game,” he said, adding, “Gangwon hasn’t beaten Ulsan in the last 11 years, and the jinx is to break it.”
With the win, Gangwon accomplished four things: a win over Ulsan for the first time in 11 years, a ‘breakthrough’, an end to a 15-match winless streak, and the first win under Yoon. When asked what he was most pleased about, he said, “I’m most pleased that we got our first win. “I was worried about the one-goal deficit, but the players held on until the end,” he said.
“Every game has been tough. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen a lot of motivation from the players, but we’ve lost the game because we didn’t focus at the 토토 end and conceded,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of improvement in those areas as time goes on. Today, I emphasized that we should hold on until the final whistle, and the players did a good job of being patient and focused.”
“I think the players will be more confident because we created a good atmosphere (with the win),” Yoon continued, “and we need to continue to improve in training. This is not the last game. We need to continue to focus and prepare for the next game,” he said, vowing to win the next match.