‘Captain’ Se-jong Joo has returned from injury. He showed his determination ahead of the confrontation with Ulsan Hyundai this coming weekend.
Daejeon Hana Citizen won 4-1 victory over Geoje Citizen Football Team (K4 League) in the 3rd round of the ‘2023 Hana One Q FA Cup’ held at Daejeon World Cup Stadium at 7:00 pm on the 12th. With this, Daejeon will play Jeju United in the round of 16 on the 24th of next month.
On this day, Daejeon started the rotation. This is because the match against Ulsan Hyundai was scheduled for the coming weekend. Ulsan is a team that is running all 6 wins since the opening of this season. As we have to play against a tough team, it was essential to arrange the physical strength of the main players in the FA Cup match during the week. As a result, players who had been playing as substitutes and team B resources got a chance to start.
There were players who stood out. It is the main Sejong. Joo Se-jong joined Daejeon on loan last summer. He immediately established himself as a key player in the team and made a big contribution to promotion. Ahead of this season, he even wore the captain’s armband. And after the opening, he led the team by starting two consecutive games.스포츠토토
But the bad news of the injury struck. In the second round away from Incheon United, he suffered an orbital fracture. After the surgery, Joo Se-jong went through a recovery period of about 5 weeks. And he coordinated the sense of real-time as a starter in the FA Cup match against Geoje. Joo Se-jong wore a specially made protective mask and digested the first half for 45 minutes.
Joo Se-jong, who met with ‘Po42’ after the game, said, “It was not easy to rehabilitate after an injury. However, I am very happy to be able to play with the players in the stadium and win again. Just 5 weeks have passed now. I decided to compete because I thought it would be okay if I ran wearing a mask,” said
Joo Se-jong, “I think I should wear a mask and run for at least 2 or 3 more games. It’s honestly not easy to do it like when you don’t wear a mask. Also, there are times when the mask shakes moment by moment. There are uncomfortable parts, such as touching the ball once more at the timing to pass.”
As mentioned, Ju Se-jong, as if he was not used to it yet, touched his mask during the game or missed the timing of the pass once or twice. However, even in a limited situation where the view was blocked by the mask, he opened an attacking path through his unique mid-to-long-distance pass. Ju Se-jong, who has fulfilled his role sufficiently, is now preparing for a meeting with the ‘big ship’ Ulsan.
Joo Se-jong said, “Our players are consistently showing good form in the league. Also, the win rate at home is good. Of course, Ulsan is currently the strongest team in K-League 1. But we will never back down from the challenger’s position. And At home, we will prepare well so that we can give victory to the fans.”
The players also shook off all the regrets of the last defeat against Suwon FC (3-5 come-from-behind loss). Joo Se-jong said, “We are pros. That’s why it doesn’t feel good to lose. But our first goal is to remain on the K-League 1 stage, and our goal is to continue to play good games without being shaken even if we suffer such a defeat.” C. After the match against Suwon FC, the mood of the team is either bad or not. Everyone is preparing hard thinking only about the game against Ulsan.”
Lastly, I did not forget to praise and encourage the B team players who showed good performance in the FA Cup. Joo Se-jong confessed, “In fact, after the first half today, I said a bit bitterly to the young players. They are good players who have enough skills, but they didn’t come out.”
He said, “The opponent is a K4 league team and we are a team in the K League 1. I told the players that I would like to have that kind of pride and show more enthusiasm. I don’t know if it’s because I heard this, but the players are good in the second half I feel good because I showed myself. I hope that all the players will work hard with confidence and pride in the future.”