“I will discuss with the president and see if we should finish the season in Gudok.”
Busan I-Park, led by Park Jin-seop, won 1-0 at home against the Jeonnam Dragons in the 26th round of the Hana OneQ K League 2 2023 at Gudok Stadium in Busan on Friday. Continuing their unbeaten streak (3 wins, 1 draw) in four matches, Busan jumped two spots from fourth to second place with 44 points. They closed the gap on ‘leaders’ Gimcheon Commerce to four points.
“It was a tough game,” Park said. The players fought to the end to secure the win. They were the driving force behind the win. I wish we could have scored more goals in our chances, but that’s something we need to work on.”
Park Dong-jin was active on the field. After starting four consecutive games in a Busan jersey in the summer transfer window, he was given the full start today. There were some mismatches between the strikers, but they got the job done.
“The players struggled in the first half in terms of tactics, including Park Dong-jin. It didn’t go well. We need to analyze it again from tomorrow and make it perfect.”
Following the 1-0 victory over Cheonan City FC, the team also won by one goal. “A one-goal deficit is the hardest for the bench,” Park said, adding, “It’s a lot of pressure, but we were able to win because the players gave it their all. It’s something that will help us in the league.”
One more win at Guduk Stadium. In the four games they played there this season, they won three and drew one. “I’ll talk to the president and see if we should finish the season there,” Park laughed.
He also had a word for Kim Chan. “He’s better than before. His confidence has increased a lot. If he continues to work hard and grow, I think he can become a better player.”
On the day, ‘leader’ Gimcheon Commerce also added three points to solidify its position. Park said, “Gimcheon is no different, but the difference in points with the top teams is not much. We have to do our best one game at a time until the end,” Park said encouragingly.
Head coach Lee Jang-jin said, “We did well as we prepared. We finished the first half with a clean sheet. The only thing we were worried about was their speed, which we recognized and followed, but the final difference decided the game. We are disappointed. We had a good flow right from the start, a perfect chance to score, and it would have been nice to get a goal.”
The team failed to close the gap on the top teams. “It was a good time for us to move up or overtake them, but we couldn’t get over the hump,” said 토토 Lee. But the players are doing their best in the heat. We’ll work on it.”
Balbidia, the team’s top scorer, struggled on the day. “She’s doing a good job,” Lee said. They know that they’re going to have a lot of pressure on them because she’s in every part of the offense. We have to create different plays as a team. We will think about it.”
On the 20th, they will meet ‘leader’ Gimcheon. “They are leading and have a lot of good players. They’ve beaten us before, but we have to prepare well. A big part is that I don’t want the players to get carried away and collapse. As a coach, I think we can do well if we recover quickly and prepare. We have a lot of good players, so I think there will be some weaknesses. I will prepare well mentally,” he concluded.