Don't be discouraged! It's okay. After the 0-7 defeat against Al Hilal, Gwangju coach Lee Jung-hyo left a message to the players
Apr 26, 2025
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Gwangju FC coach Lee Jung-hyo delivered a message to the players after losing 0-7 to Al Hilal in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) in the 2024-2025 season at 1:30 a.m. on the 26th (Korea time) at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Gwangju ended the first half 0-3 by allowing relay goals to Sergei Milinkovic Savic, Marcos Leonardo and Salem Al-Dosari 33 minutes after the start of the game, and lost to Aleksandar Mitrovic, Malkong, Naser Al-Dosari and Abdullah Al-Hamdan in the second half. Gwangju's ACLE journey, which advanced to the Asian club competition for the first time in the club's history this season and achieved a miraculous advance to the quarterfinals, has been completed. There was a big difference from Al-Hilal, who was armed with oil money from Asia's strongest squad. Coach Lee Jung-hyo said before the game, `I want to win. We need to win to build a new clubhouse"He threw a spirited bid, but the wall of reality was high. The market value of Al Hilal's team is 295 billion won, more than 20 times that of Gwangju (14 billion won). The result was according to director Lee's pre-press conference, which was "replication, development, etc."
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Below is the full text of the post-match press conference of Gwangju FC head coach Lee Jung-hyo, delivered by the Korea Professional Football Federation.
-How do you feel about the game
▶Thank you to Gwangju fans for coming all the way. I want to praise the players for doing their best until the end, even though they must have had a hard time. The long journey of the competition called ACLE is over, but I hope the players will nourish today's game and try harder, and I think they will be able to get back on their feet if they invest more time without doubting their skills. Above all, our players worked hard, and we are satisfied because we played without injury.
- As you said before the game, the results came out, but I wonder if you expected this much. What did you feel as a coach during the competition.
▶What I felt while playing the game was that I had to play more faithfully to the basics. There are still many areas to develop and improve. I thought I could lose a quick run, so I could fly to 0-3 in the first half. When you play soccer, there are more times when it doesn't go as planned. It's okay. Whether it's 0-7 or 0-10, I think it's enough if the players have something to learn. Today's game must have been a great motivation for the players. Due to this game, I also had a bad feeling, and I also had a desire to beat the strong team once again. I hope today's game will be a great nourishment. Tell the players "Don't be discouraged! That's fine."I'd like to say.
-I think there was an altercation with coach Al Hilal after the game, what was the situation?
▶I don't know exactly, but I think I'm misunderstanding something. But I don't want to care much. It's okay because I'm a person who won't watch it anyway.
-There were some disappointing parts, such as the striker's decision-making ability, but what part did you feel regardless of the result of the game?
▶I think you know because you watched the game together. I felt that I was still lacking a lot in every aspect, including physical and technology. The same goes for me. I think I need to think a little more about which part to look back on. It was a game where I thought a lot about the guidance of the players because it seemed to have been decided how to move forward. I think I'm the only one who needs to do well as a director. If you coach well, I think there will be a lot of good players.
-You described this competition as a long journey, but what has changed between Gwangju for the first time and Gwangju for now?
▶If you started with small dreams and doubts when you first started, now you have some confidence. I'm worried that I'll hit the wall once again and my confidence will turn into a question, but I think I have a homework to solve that question with confidence. I will lead the players well so that they don't have any doubts, and I will move forward so that the players can have greater confidence in the future. K League fans showed a lot of interest and support. It was a small city on the outskirts, out of the public's interest, but I think it played a big role in promoting Gwangju FC and even Gwangju Metropolitan City. I wanted to talk to you after winning, but I hope a good company will support our club, and I also hope you give a lot of compliments to our players.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
