It rained incessantly from the morning of Children’s Day. Record heavy rain was expected, but it wasn’t that much. Still, in the eyes of the children, the endless rain seemed to look brutal.
On Children’s Day, K-League matches are held without fail. This year is sure to be an underwater battle. Working hard on the wipers, I crossed the World Cup Bridge and arrived at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. As the kick-off time for FC Seoul and Jeonbuk Hyundai approached 2:00 p.m., the rain from the sky became thicker.
Seoul, which has a good atmosphere, and Jeonbuk, which is the exact opposite, met. Seoul has been at the bottom of the list for the past three seasons and has lost its reputation as a prestigious team. However, this season, they are competing in the top ranks with much better performances and scoring. On the other hand, Jeonbuk, the away team, was in a situation as dark as the sky. I broke up with coach Kim Sang-sik, who I had been with for 15 years since I was a player, and it was not easy to make a list of 18 people because there were 10 injured. The backup goalkeeper on the replacement list was Gong Si-hyeon, born in 2005. It has been a long time since the weight of the squad between Seoul and Jeonbuk leaned toward Seoul when they accepted the starting list.
The faces of the coaches of the two teams we met before the game were quite different. Jeonbuk acting manager Kim Doo-hyun emphasized professionalism with a serious expression. “I told the players to think about what they are playing for and to play for their intrinsic motivation,” he said calmly. Seoul head coach Ahn Ik-soo showed his composure, saying, “Even though Hwang Ui-jo and Osmar are not in normal condition, I thought they might be the players I want to see the most on Children’s Day, so I will show them in front of the fans.”
As it was an underwater battle, variables came out immediately after kick-off. Lee Tae-seok’s return after receiving a pass from Seoul’s Kim Joo-sung was a bit short, probably because of the rain, and Kim Joo-sung’s slightly slow reaction speed was added, and Gustavo snatched the ball and cut it into the goal with a right-footed shot. It was the opening goal that came 11 seconds into the game. It was the same record as the fastest goal scored by Incheon Bang Seung-hwan in 2007 against Pohang in the Samsung Hauzen Cup.
After that, Seoul led the game. Knowing that it was a great opportunity to catch Jeonbuk, who had not won in six years, the players ran to score. However, Jeonbuk players fought back with physical defense. As if trying to wipe out the humiliation suffered in the last 10 games with heavy rain, he blocked and blocked again.
Still, Seoul has borne fruit. It wasn’t until the 33rd minute of the second half that ‘Sangam Mad Dog’ Park Dong-jin succeeded in scoring an equalizer with a header based on his talent, his natural jumping ability. It was a copy of last year’s Children’s Day. Even then, he scored an equalizer at the end of the game against Jeonbuk and held a ceremony to prove his nickname. One difference is that this year, the same ceremony was held in front of home fans.
The game ended in a 1-1 draw, and the players from both teams sat down on the ground as the final whistle blew. The 37,008 spectators who visited Sangambeol sent warm applause and shouts to the players. The fans demanded a high level of performance, and both teams responded. The home and away fans, who cheered passionately throughout the 90 minutes wearing red and green raincoats, were the main characters of the match. 스포츠토토
Seoul surpassed 30,000 average spectators for home games this season, including counting spectators for the match. A total of 154,954 people were mobilized in 5 games, and the total number of spectators in 19 games last season was already approaching 166,934. A recent conversation with Ki Sung-yong came to mind once again. “Seoul needs to be good at soccer. Then the fans will definitely come.”
Regardless of the outcome, 37,008 people enjoyed a fun game in the rain. Although the number of child fans has not been confirmed, many children have made precious memories. It is also the beauty of soccer that is played rain or shine. If they went to Jamsil at the same time, it would have been Children’s Day that they would regret a little bit.