'The pillar of Jeonnam' Ko Tae-won (32, Jeonnam) declared to restrain Incheon from dominating.
Jeonnam Dragons drew 2-2 with Chungbuk Cheongju FC after initially conceding two goals in the 18th round of the Hana Bank K League 2 2025 held at Cheongju Sports Complex on the 29th. 4th place Jeonnam (8 wins, 7 draws, 3 losses, 31 points) recorded four consecutive matches without a win. 13th place Chungbuk Cheongju (3 wins, 5 draws, 10 losses, 14 points) has not won in nine consecutive matches.
Jeonnam allowed consecutive goals to Hong Seok-jun and Choi Gang-min, trailing 0-2. Han Nam, who came in as a substitute in the second half, scored a consolation goal, successfully executing Manager Kim Hyun-seok's gamble. In the 50th minute of stoppage time, Ko Tae-won scored a dramatic equalizer with a header, saving Jeonnam from the brink of defeat.
After the match, Ko Tae-won said, 'In a situation where we were losing 1-2, I was able to connect the score when the last ball from Valdivia came. I'm grateful to my teammates. The young players from Cheongju were very active, which made it tough. I thought we could catch up if we made one thing at a time. It's a pity that we drew, so the result is unfortunate.'
Ko Tae-won, the leader of the defense, plays a role in coordinating the entire team. As a senior, he is also demonstrating leadership. By serving as a sweeper in the back, the buildup for attacks has improved.
Kim Hyun-seok, the manager of Jeonnam, said, 'Ko Tae-won was the captain until last year. This season, we changed the captain to Valdivia, which brought some difficulties. Ko Tae-won has been participating in every match as a veteran, demonstrating his sense of responsibility. I'm very grateful for the goal he scored.'
Ko Tae-won humbly replied, 'I do my best in the role given by the manager. The manager is making use of my strengths. Vice-captain (Kim) Kyung-jae is absent due to injury. I have temporarily taken over that role.'
Jeonnam has dropped to 4th place without a win in four consecutive matches. To remain competitive in the upper tier, they must win the home game against Incheon on the 6th. Incheon leads the league significantly with 14 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss. In particular, Jeonnam has a painful memory of losing 0-2 to Incheon after allowing two goals to Mugosa in the 13th round.
Ko Tae-won said, 'In the last match against Incheon, we lost disappointingly after Koo Hyun-jun was sent off. It's unfortunate that we couldn't bring back the result. We have prepared to stop Incheon's dominance. As it is a home game in Gwangyang, we prepared desperately. I will close the gap with Incheon before summer ends,' promising a win.
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