The ‘King of Daegu’ returned with three points. Sejingya’s Daegu succeeded in defeating Seoul, who were on the verge of collapse.
Daegu FC won 1-0 at home against FC Seoul in the 16th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at DGB Daegu Bank Park (hereinafter referred to as Daepak) on the 4th at 7pm.
Around noon, seven hours before kick-off, all tickets at Daepak were sold out. It was the third sell-out (12,056) this season, following a 2-0 win against Jeonbuk on 19 March (12,253) and a 0-3 loss against Ulsan on Children’s Day. “I heard the news from my wife during the day,” said Daegu coach Choi Won-kwon. Daegu suffered a 0-3 defeat against Seoul on 8 April in their first match of the season. At the time, “Captain” Sejingya, who was 50% of the team, was injured. On this day, Daegu’s squad was ‘fully fit’ at home and vowed to win in front of a full house. For the third time in eight home games, they were determined to make their fans smile. “Today, I told the players to enjoy it to the fullest,” said Choi. “We are lucky and blessed to have the support of our fans in a stadium like this. Let’s enjoy it a little more and do our best for them, and the results will come,” Choi said. “We don’t have any injuries. We have a strong starting XI. We’re well prepared. I’m confident that we can do enough to get the three points,” he said.
Line-ups안전놀이터
Daegu (3-4-3) Choi Young-eun (GK) / Cho Jin-woo, Hong Jung-woon, Kim Jin-hyuk, Hong Chul, Lee Yong-rae, Lee Jin-yong, Hwang Jae-won, Edgar, Sejingya, Go Jae-hyun
Seoul (3-4-3) Baek Jong-beom (GK)/Kim Joo-seong-Osmar-Lee Han-beom/Lee Tae-seok-Ki Sung-yong-Palosevic-Park Soo-il/Willian-Hwang Eui-jo-Na Sang-ho
First half
The first half was a back-and-forth affair. Both teams started with a solid three-back. In the first minute, Na Sang-ho shot just wide of the goal. Edgar’s header from Sejingya’s cross went wide in the third minute. Seoul’s Willian missed the target in the ninth minute. Willian, who has scored in two consecutive games, was active. In the 12th minute, Daegu goalkeeper Choi Young-eun stopped Willian’s rush.
However, the first goal belonged to Daegu. In the 14th minute, Daegu’s trademark storm counterattack began. The trio of Sejingya, Edgar, and Jae-hyun ‘Sedhyeon’ worked well together. Go Jae-hyun’s cut-back pass from Edgar’s headed ball was met by Sejingya’s right-footed shot into the net. “Wea Daegu!” a heavenly roar filled Daepak. Sejingya showed her affection with a K-heart to the crowd. Daegu’s counterattack continued. In the 19th minute, Edgar’s shot went high after a pass from Sejingya. Seoul, looking to regain second place, also pushed forward. In the 25th minute, Choi Young-eun stopped Hwang Eui-jo’s rush on goal. With 12,056 fans cheering, Se Jing-ya, the ‘master of counterattacks’, was flying high. In the 29th minute, Se Jing-ya broke down the opponent’s left flank, but her shot went wide of the target. In the 37th minute, another sparkling counterattack, this time by Hong Chul, who took over from Sejingya’s kill pass, was blocked by Seoul’s Lee Tae-seok. Daegu had the momentum. In first-half stoppage time, Seoul’s Lee Tae-seok shot and Osmar’s header were blocked. The first half ended with Daegu leading 1-0.
Second half
In the third minute of the second half, Hong Chul’s counter-attack along the left line with Sejingya was fierce, and the veteran full-back, who asked to start despite his injury for the fans on ‘Hong Chul Day’, showed great determination. Ten minutes into the second half, Seoul’s attack heated up. Park Soo-il’s right-footed mid-range shot deflected off the Daegu defence. In the 15th minute, Daegu took off Lee Jin-yong and brought on Park Se-jin. In the 16th minute, Sejingya shot wide of the goal following a pass from Edgar. 19th minute, Lee Tae-seok’s powerful left-footed shot went just wide again. In the 21st minute, Edgar’s rush following a cross from Hwang Jae-won was blocked by Seoul defence chief Baek Jong-beom. In the 24th minute, Daegu brought on Keita for Lee Yong-rae. In the 34th minute, Park Se-jin’s shot narrowly missed the target. In the 38th minute, coach Ahn Ik-soo made a last-ditch effort by bringing on “Living Legend” Go Yo-han, who returned from an Achilles injury 14 months later. In the 44th minute, Daegu brought on Lee Geun-ho and Vasellus Card in place of Sejingya and Ko Jae-hyun to give them a boost. The heated match ended in a victory for Daegu. The 0-3 defeat was repaid with a 1-0 victory. Seoul, who had scored in all 15 games this season, were silenced for the first time. Daegu’s five-match unbeaten run leaves them in fifth place in the league with 24 points, ahead of Daejeon (22 points), who lost 1-0 to Incheon earlier in the day.