Recap: Daegu FC 1-1 Sangju Sangmu

Winless Daegu FC disappointingly had to put off their first victory of the season to the next round after Song Seungmin's header for Sangju Sangmu cancelled out Cesinha's heel flick at DGB Daegu Bank Park. Daegu FC writer Muyeol Jung reviews this clash.

Line-Ups

Line ups: Daegu FC (L) vs Sangju Sangmu (R) (Image courtesy of Soccerway)

Daegu FC

With the return of Cesinha to line up from a thigh strain, Daegu caretaker Lee Byeonggeun took a gamble with no U22 player on the starting list, which resulted in them having only two substitutions allowed. In the midfield, Tsubasa Nishi started instead of Kim Sunmin who is serving a one game ban for a dismissal.

Sangju Sangmu

The Soldiers made two changes to their previous line up following a return of U22 players Jeon Sejin and Kim Bosub from injury. Moon Seonmin and Moon Changjin started on the bench.

What Happened?

What Went Well?

Return of Cesinha

Brazilian attacking midfielder Cesinha is one of the best talents in K League and Daegu FC looked out of energy without him in their last game. To be frank, while he didn't look fresh, his presence itself meant a lot to Daegu and the opponent. He also scored his first goal of the season with a flick through a heel kick.

Discovery of U22 Defender Kim Jaewoo

Hong Jungwoon's injury is extremely tragic and unfortunate for him and the Sky Blues, but the discovery of Kim Jaewoo is one of few things Daegu FC can take from this game. The defender smoothly became part of back three as soon as he was introduced and looked confident despite it being his debut to K League 1 and Daegu.

A streak of hope on Counterattack instinct

It's too early to celebrate yet, but there were a few occasions that Daegu could have done better in finishing. They appeared to get the hang of counterattacking. Daegu's goal was a textbook example of Daegu's scoring formula last season.

What Didn't Go Well?

Hong Jungwoon's injury and Defensive setback

Caretaker Lee Byungkeun's gamble turned out to be recipe for a disaster when captain Hong Jungwoon had to leave the pitch with a serious knee injury only ten minutes into the first half. An early forced substitution gave the manager no option for later on when needed.

Daegu defenders leave Song Seungmin (Red Triangle) unmarked in the box (Image capture: Official K League)

It seems that there is a clear pattern in goals conceded and work needs to be done as urgently as possible. When out of possession, Daegu let the opponents have so enough space on the flanks, allowing them to deliver the ball into the box accurately as they can. Therefore, unmarked Sangju Song Seungmin exploited the space between two defenders and was given a free header.

Against Jeonbuk away, Jeonbuk Kunimoto (Red Triangle) is unmarked in the box (Image capture: Official K League)

A similar scene was already shown against Jeonbuk away game when unmarked Kunimoto freely moved between the defenders to head the ball, forcing a save before Cho Gyusung tapped in the loose ball.

Improvement in the build-up

With the return of Cesinha, Daegu looked better in the build-up, but too much reliance on Cesinha certainly made it easy and predictable for the opposition to defend.

Daegu had too many misplaced passes in the build-up, particularly from Kim Daewon who had only a 53% passing accuracy followed by central midfielder Lee Jinhyun with 69%.

Kim Daewon's poor performance brought imbalance in attacking directions and made little contribution. From the left flank where Kim Daewon and Kim Dongjin were positioned, only two crosses were delivered well, whilst Jung Seungwon alone successfully provided four crosses from right flank.

Post Match Interview

Daegu FC caretaker Lee Byeongkeun

First of all, I feel sorry for all our club staff and fans who are really looking forward to the first win this season. We will try our best to pay back them with an overdue win.

The early forced substitution following Hong Jungwoon's injury completely changed our plan. We don't know how serious his injury is and he needs to go through a check-up.

Cesinha is arguably the most influential player in Daegu and I am thankful to him for completing 90 minutes and scoring a goal. But we still need other players to get into shape and play better.

I highly value substitute Kim Jaewoo's performance albeit through a sudden change. He looks well-adapted and it would be a good idea to play him as a U22 player.

Sangju Sangmu manager Kim Taewan

Despite the fatigue issues they might have had in last three games, I am grateful for their efforts and a point on the road.

Kim Bosub may take time to adapt, but he did pretty well in the defensive role I asked for.

We will start the new season in K League 2 because of the relocation of the club. So, I told them [players] to play football we want, including more attacking football, regardless of results. This season's plan is much focused on players' growth and improvement. We will continue to do our best for every game as well as individual growth as footballers with a great amount of joy.

Ratings and Man of the Match

Man of the Match: Jung Seungwon / Daegu FC

The 1997 born midfielder has been dominant down the line. The diligent player provided quality crosses a few times including Cesinha's first goal. The goal initially started from his interception in Daegu's own half before he curled the ball to Cesinha on the move.

Ratings: Daegu FC



Ratings: Sangju Sangmu

Next Week

Winless Daegu FC are set to travel up north for Seongnam away on Sunday 7th June (19:00 KST). Kim Namil's Seongnam, play their game in hand today, and have looked dynamic and dangerous in their last three games with one win and two draws. In particular, 20-year-old rookie Hong Sihoo has shown some sensational showings for the Magpies.

The military side Sangju Sangmu will have another away game to newly promoted side Busan IPark on Saturday 6th June (19:00 KST).