"I could only laugh since my third goal was canceled."

It was such a tough happy ending. Lee Ho-jae (25, Pohang Steelers) rose as a hero despite three canceled goals and a penalty kick miss.

Pohang Steelers achieved a 2-1 comeback victory against FC Anyang in the 8th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2025 home game held on the 12th at Pohang Steel Yard.

With this, Pohang washed away its early-season struggles, going unbeaten in six league matches (3 wins, 3 draws). Now, the team has risen to 5th place with 12 points (3 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses). On the other hand, Anyang remained in 8th place with 9 points (3 wins, 5 losses) after failing to hold onto Mo Ta's opening goal.

The star of the match was undoubtedly Lee Ho-jae. He saw three goals canceled and nearly missed a penalty kick earned by a teammate. However, he ultimately scored the decisive goal to lead the team to victory.

Lee Ho-jae's misfortune began in the 4th minute of the first half. He shook the net with a sharp turning shot that hit the corner of the goal from inside the box. However, a handball foul by Oberdan was announced in the preceding play. Naturally, Lee Ho-jae's goal was canceled.

After overcoming the crisis, Anyang opened the scoring. In the 14th minute of the first half, Han Hyun-seo tripped Mo Ta inside the box, and the referee immediately awarded a penalty kick. Mo Ta, taking the kick himself, calmly scored his third goal of the season.

Lee Ho-jae scored once again. In the 27th minute of the first half, he unleashed a powerful long-range shot from outside the box that beat the goalkeeper. The ball deflected off Juninho's body and headed toward a corner the goalkeeper couldn't reach. However, this goal was also canceled due to Juninho's offside.

This was not the end. In stoppage time of the first half, Juninho delivered an early cross into the box, and a ball cleared by Kim Young-chan hit Lee Ho-jae's body and went into the goal. However, once again, it wasn’t a goal. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruled a handball foul by Lee Ho-jae.

He nearly compounded it by missing a penalty kick. Lee Ho-jae took the penalty kick earned by Juninho in the 26th minute of the second half. However, his shot was saved by Anyang goalkeeper Hwang Byeong-geun, then hit the post.

It seemed like Lee Ho-jae would remain with the worst day ever. However, a twist occurred. Hwang Byeong-geun lifted his foot before the shot, prompting a directive for Lee to retake it. Lee did not miss the second chance and scored cleanly, finally regaining his smile.

After the match, Lee Ho-jae said in a broadcast interview, "I wish I had scored quickly; I regret that many goals were canceled. But I’m glad we finished with a victory in the end." He added, "If only the second goal had been canceled, I would have cried in the locker room at half-time. But after the third goal was canceled, I could only laugh."

Also, Lee Ho-jae noted, "I had good shooting feelings during training this week. I thought I could score a lot since the first shot felt good. But it didn’t go as planned." He vowed, "In the next match, I will definitely score a lot."

[Photo] Provided by the Korea Professional Football League.

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