Suwon Samsung defeated Daegu FC 1-0 in the round of 16 of the 2023 Hana OneQ Korea Football Association (FA) Cup at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 7 p.m. on Thursday. The winner of the match will meet Incheon United in the quarterfinals.
In the post-match press conference, 스포츠토토 head coach Kim Byung-soo said, “We played calmly in the first half. We scored at the right time. I’m not very satisfied, but the players’ willingness to pass was good, and their attitude to defend when they were winning was also good. We should have counterattacked in a good situation, but that part was disappointing.”
Suwon went with a younger roster on the day. Kim Joo-chan did his part by scoring the opening goal. Son Ho-jun filled in for Lee Ki-je, who was rested. Lee Kyu-seok kept a clean sheet in the first half before being substituted at the start of the second half. Coach Kim Byung-soo said, “Kyu-seok was out of sorts. I took him off after the first half because I thought he was at his best. Kim Joo-chan is a player with skills. He can also do ball-keeping. I’m looking forward to the future. I was worried about Son Ho-joon, but he played pretty well. I’m cautiously thinking that his confidence will rise through this opportunity.”
He also vowed to rebound in the league. Suwon is in last place with eight points after 14 games in the K League 1. “When we win, the mood improves,” said Kim Byung-soo. But our league position is not very good. I’m worried, but if we play as well as we did today, I think we can get into the mid-table.”
On the possibility of using young players in the future, Kim Byung-soo said, “Of course. We talked about it in the pre-match meeting. It wasn’t a test match today. The rotation is right. We need good competitiveness. We need to raise the level from before.”
He was satisfied with the short answer to the opening goal. Kim Bo-kyung found space in the back and delivered a long pass with precision to open up the Daegu defense. Kim Joo-chan finished off Kim’s precise right-footed cross with a simple shot. “It can be said that we practiced,” Kim Byung-soo smiled when asked about the goal.