Daejeon Hana Citizen, a K-League 1 promoted team, is having a blast. Daejeon, which returned to the first division after 8 years this season, won 2-1 in the first game of Robin 2 (Rounds 12-22) against Suwon FC on the 10th and ranked 3rd. Daejeon, which is ranked third in the club’s scoring rankings (20 goals), caught both rabbits with a performance (6 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses) and ‘fun to watch’ with hot attacking soccer. At the center is Lee Jin-hyun (26), who was responsible for a third of the team’s points (3 goals and 4 assists).
Lee Jin-hyun, who recently met at Daejeon Deokam Soccer Center, found the driving force behind his success this season in team tactics and teamwork. He explained, “Since I put a lot of attack numbers in the front line, I was able to build up attack points because I had a good opportunity in the opponent’s camp.” He then lowered his body, saying, “Thanks to the tactics that have been in place since the second half of last season, the breathing between the players is also well matched, and it seems that we have achieved results.”
In fact, in Daejeon, the score distribution is so even that 11 of the entire team scored a goal. It means that they are creating various scoring routes based on solid team tactics rather than relying on a small number of players. Even so, Lee Jin-hyun’s performance is unrivaled. In particular, his goal scored in the match against Jeonbuk on the 26th of last month was a goal created entirely by his individual abilities. At that time, in the 28th minute of the second half, he put a corner kick straight into the opponent’s goal, leading the team to a 2-1 victory.
Lee Jin-hyun recalled the situation at the time, saying, “I was aiming and kicking.” He said, “I tried to raise a corner kick with a similar trajectory for fun during practice, and I thought, ‘I should put it as a near post (closest goal post) in the actual game,’” he said. I laughed outrageously.
He shows a particularly strong side in big matches. Last season, in the second leg of the promotion playoff against Sangmu Kim Cheon, he scored a goal with a left-footed free kick, and became the first-class contributor to promotion to the first division. Lee Jin-hyun said, “I always look back at my previous play before a big game.”
Lee Jin-hyun is not the only individual who shows a strong side in big matches. Daejeon is recording a good record of 2 wins and 1 draw this season in the face-to-face confrontation with 1st place Ulsan, 2nd place Seoul (3-2 win), and 4th place Pohang (0-0). In other words, the ‘counter-fire’ strategy that never settles down against strong teams is paying off. However, some predict that the strong pressure football in Daejeon will cause players to consume their stamina and eventually affect their performance in the second half.먹튀검증
Regarding this, Lee Jin-hyun said, “If you press hard in the front line, the time to reach the opponent’s camp is shortened, so you can save your stamina.” In fact, in the match against Suwon FC the previous day, in the 16th minute of the first half, Martha, a Japanese striker, pressed the opponent’s goalkeeper from the front line and scored the opening goal, and the game went smoothly.
Lee Jin-hyun, who is running toward a ‘career high’ this season, has set various goals. He laughed and said, “My goal was to score 5 goals and 5 assists in the first half, but I think I will achieve it unless there is a big change.”