Acting head coach Ki Hoon Yeom of professional soccer’s K League 1 Suwon Samsung, whose dramatic winning streak has given the team a glimmer of hope in the midst of a ‘direct entry into the second division’ crisis, vowed to remain focused until the end.
Speaking at a press conference after the team’s 37th round away match against FC Seoul at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Friday, Yeom said, “I’m glad we got the result,” adding, “I’m very happy, but I will prepare well for the final match so that the players’ fighting spirit doesn’t end with today’s game.”
Suwon held on to a goal from Bassani in the 18th minute of the second half to beat Seoul 1-0.
Last-placed Suwon, who would have lost the match and effectively sealed their direct relegation without closing the gap between 10th and 11th place, booked their final “super match” of the season against seventh-placed Seoul to keep their chances of a promotion playoff (PO) alive.
In the match between 10th and 11th place, Gangwon FC won 2-0 to move into 10th place (33 points), while 11th place Suwon FC and last place Suwon are both on 32 points, leaving just ‘one point’ between the three teams. With only 38 rounds remaining, the relegation battle remains tight.
“I felt good about the players’ attitude, determination, and physical condition while preparing for this match. Looking at the players, I felt confident that we could stabilize and do something.”
In terms of performance, “Seoul is a team with a strong midfield, and we trained a lot to cut the ball into the center of the field. We did that today and created a lot of chances on the counterattack,” he said. “The players trusted the analysis and followed it. We will try to keep that trust going.”
“After the game, we high-fived each other and laughed without saying a word. I could see a lot of happy faces from the players even without words, and I felt the same way,” he said, sharing the team’s mood.
Suwon will play Gangwon in the final round on March 2 in a ’bout of destiny’.
“We’re still in last place. We don’t have time to think about Gangwon’s situation, we just have to do well.” “We don’t care about the other team’s situation, we just have to produce results with our own strength and avoid relegation,” said Dye.
“It was a very difficult game,” said Bassani, who scored the winning goal. I’m happy that I was able to produce a big result for my team in a difficult situation,” he smiled.
Bassani, who wore the Suwon jersey this season on loan from Brazilian professional soccer’s Figueirense FC, hadn’t scored much in the league this season after scoring two goals in April, and his goal came at a crucial time.
“When I started playing after the arrival of acting coach Yi Ki-hoon, I was hoping to regain my rhythm and that the goals would come naturally. I felt the ball coming to me from the first half of today’s game, so I felt confident and trusting,” he said, adding, “The goal was a play I’ve always practiced in training, so I kicked it confidently.”
“Basani has been playing well but hasn’t had any attacking points, so he must be suffering a lot,” said Yeom, adding that he was confident that he would score a goal in an important match and lead the team to victory. 슬롯게이밍
