Professional football K League 1 FC Seoul defeated rivals Suwon Samsung and won their 100th Super Match. Seoul rose to second place, while Suwon failed to escape from the bottom.
Seoul won 3-1 in the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 Round 8 home game against Suwon held at 2:00 pm on the 22nd at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Na Sang-ho scored the first goal in the 37th minute of the first half, and Hwang Eui-jo and Palosevich scored consecutive goals in the second half to decide the game. In Suwon, Mulich, who was substituted at the end of the game, scored a comeback goal, but it was not enough.
On this day, more than 30,000 spectators gathered at the stadium and cheered enthusiastically. Seoul, which mobilized 40,000 spectators in the last home game, has established itself as a box office club by driving a cloud crowd throughout this season. About 3,000 fans of the visiting team, Suwon, also filled the first floor of the South Stand.
The reason why so many spectators gathered was to enjoy the Super Match, one of the best rivalries in Korean soccer. The rivalry between Seoul and Suwon is a derby recognized by the International Football Federation (FIFA). The two teams growled whenever they met, and numerous stories were produced in the hot and fierce match.
However, today’s game was a bit bland. It was like a match between a strong team and a weak team. Seoul took the lead throughout the game and had high decision power. Supported by home fans, the players also overpowered their opponents with more agile movements. In fact, there was a big difference in the atmosphere between the two teams before the match. Seoul was in the middle of a fight for the top ranks, escaping from sluggishness over the past three years, while Suwon was at the bottom, and the manager was given a prescription for hardening just four days ago.
But what made the biggest difference was the difference in the squad. Even if you compare the selection list of 11 players, Seoul has a lot of former and incumbent national representatives. Ki Sung-yong, Na Sang-ho, and Hwang Eui-jo served as signboards, and Na Sang-ho and Hwang Eui-jo proved their class by scoring points. Suwon was the only adult representative, Lee Gi-je, and Kim Bo-kyung came in as a substitute, but the overall squad lacked weight. Aside from the national team, Suwon’s depth seemed weak against Seoul, which was dominated by K-League veteran players such as Im Sang-hyeop, Osmar, and Kim Jin-ya. 안전놀이터
In fact, these differences were evident on the pitch. The two teams differed in the speed and method of overcoming a crisis situation, and created a gap even at the moment of deciding a chance. And there was a difference in overcoming the pressure in front of a large crowd. In the end, the difference between the squads was the difference between winning and losing.
Acting manager Choi Seong-yong, who attended the post-game press conference, also admitted to some extent. He said, “It would be nice if there were many good players and representative players, but as you know, there are only these resources right now. I will think about it so that the players can escape from the burden.”