“Decision-making was lacking, but we played well”
Pohang Steelers head coach Kim Ki-dong talks about his team’s win over Urawa Reds (Japan).
Pohang won 2-0 away to Urawa Reds in their 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) Group J match on Thursday at Saitama Stadium in Saitama, Japan.
With its third straight win, Pohang maintained its lead at the top of the group with nine points. Urawa remained in second place with one win, one draw, and one loss (four points).
Pohang got off to a good start in the first half when Jung Jae-hee headed home a cross from Kim Seung-dae in the 22nd minute. In the fourth minute of the second half, Kim In-sung created a chance with a dribbling breakthrough, and Ko Young-joon finished off a cross from Kim In-sung.
Pohang held on to the two-goal lead and finished the match with a 2-0 victory.
“Both the league and ACL were worried about injuries, but we showed a good performance as a team today,” said coach Kim Ki-dong at the post-match press conference. “However, it was disappointing that we lacked decisiveness when we could have scored more goals. We will continue to play well with the players in both the league and ACL,” he said after the victory.
Urawa is the defending champion, having won the ACL last year, but Pohang overwhelmed them on their own turf. Coach Kim Ki-dong said, “Urawa’s style is very similar to ours. While playing our own practice games, we thought about how to prevent them from playing their tactics and where the loopholes were.” “We prepared for short passes, tightened up our central defense, and prepared for counterattacks. I thought that if we used Kim In-sung’s speed to counterattack, they would be surprised. When the opponent raised a lot of sidebacks and gave us space, I think we did a good job of exploiting it.”
The matchup is also significant in that it is a victory over Korea. “The Club vs. Club match is also a Korean-Japanese 안전놀이터 match, so I’m more concerned about it than other matches,” said Kim Ki-dong. “Japan and Korea have different soccer styles, so I can’t say who is better. Japanese players have something that Korean players don’t have, and Korean players have something that Japanese players don’t have. I think it’s important how to utilize their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.”
Kim In-sung, who also attended the press conference, shared his thoughts on the victory, saying, “It’s always difficult to play against Japan, but I’m glad we were able to get a good result today.”
“After this match, we have a series of important matches in Korea. By winning today’s match, we’ve gained strength to play our upcoming important matches in Korea more easily.”