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| Photo provided =Kyodo News |
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Eternal Rivals' sang mutual development and cooperation.
Coach Hong Myung-bo and coach Hajime Moriyasu, who lead the A-team of both Korea and Japan, held talks at J Village in Chiba Prefecture, Japan at the end of last month. The two coaches talked candidly in the talks organized by Japan's Kyodo News to mark the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan. Kyodo News recently released an article and video that divided Hong and Moriyasu's talks into upper and lower parts.
Hong said, `The first time I met Moriyasu was at the 1992 Diners Tea Cup. Since then, Moriyasu has always been in the story that there is such a player in the Japanese national team every time between Korea and Japan. The play devoted to the team was very impressive," he recalled. Moriyasu said, "(The Diners Tea Cup) was the first Korea-Japan match for me. I was happy to be able to play in a match with a long history, but on the other hand, I felt strange because it was a world I was looking at from the outside"Korea was a strong team again"I looked back.
Moriyasu also recalled his relationship with South Korea when he played in the final Asian qualifying round for the 1994 U.S. World Cup. Roh Jung-yoon, who played as a teammate in Hiroshima at the time, was a member of the Korean national team. In Korea, a chef accompanied the team to eat Korean food and meat at the hotel. "At that time, Japan didn't have such an environment, so he brought food before leaving the country," he said. "Roh Jung-yoon once brought kimchi to the Japanese national team, saying, "If you do that, you can't eat much." Hong said, `All six teams that played in the final qualifying round stayed in one hotel. We had a good early momentum but were being chased mentally afterwards. On the other hand, Japan played against Korea with momentum. Eventually, he was on the verge of defeat, but he was lucky enough to make it to the finals"I could realize that Japan was growing steadily. I felt strongly that one day Japan would also be able to go to the World Cup finals."
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| 肩を組む韓?の洪明甫監督（左）と日本代表の森保一監督●?談後 |
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What kind of game did Hong remember among 78 Korea-Japan matches. "The final Asian qualifying round for the U.S. World Cup (0-1 loss), the match against Japan at the World Cup in France in September 1997 (2-1 victory), and the bronze medal match at the 2012 London Olympics (2-0 victory) are the most memorable Korea-Japan matches in soccer life," he said. Moriyasu said, `I didn't play in person, but I remember the away match against South Korea in the qualifying round for the World Cup in France. At that time, I watched while eating tteokbokki in the stands. It was a must-win game to go to the finals, but I wonThe bronze medal match at the London Olympics was also impressive. It was not national team A, but it was a match between the two countries for medals in international competitions. I thought it would be nice if I could play this kind of game in the A national team. I hope it will happen in the World Cup" he said.
The 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, which was a new turning point for soccer between the two countries. Coach Hong said, "Japan played first before the round of 16." I remember that when Japan lost, coach Guus Hiddink urgently called a team meeting. Because his opponent was Italy, he could have thought that he might lose. Hiddink stressed 'Don't be satisfied here, we have to move toward a higher goal' How I was able to control my motivation..."
The two leaders, who had similar playing styles during their active days, had similar philosophies. Coach Hong said, `It is important to gather a lot of good players to make the team good. Each person has different thoughts and experiences, but it is very important what attitude they take and how dedicated they are. The technicality is important, of course, but I think it's important how the player affects the team and how he can commit to the team"The strength of the team is important to beat a strong team. Many may pay attention to the star, but a player who makes dedicated plays for the team like Moriyasu eventually makes it a win. When I was in the J-League, I heard a lot of 'for the team'. A good team is about making it with players who are committed to the team and can make sacrifices. There will be some playing for the jersey number and name on the back of the uniform, but rather than that, I want the players to understand that they have to fight with the emblem of the front and the mission of the flag." Moriyasu said, `It's almost the same as Hong's idea. We want to build a team that fights systematically under the principle of harmony"Organizations respect their respective values as they are made up of individuals, but the first question is, can they always fight for the team, for their colleagues, for Japan?" Based on this, it is also looking at whether harmony and mutual respect can be practiced. Coach Hong was a captain who could communicate with the team through words and actions when he was a player. He was a great player who was able to do both what he had to do on his own and what he did for the team in Japan as well as the Korean national team. I hope there will be many players like this."
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| 日本代表の森保一監督（右）と?談する韓?の洪明甫監督 |
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Coach Moriyasu has made headlines for aiming to win the title ahead of the North Korea-China World Cup. While it is the confidence of the No. 1 player in Asia (15th) in the FIFA rankings, some pointed out that 'Bluff' In response, Moriyasu is fighting with the entire team to win the championship with the idea of "The dream is big". Of course, if you look back on the past, you might be criticized as 'What are you talking about?' However, I don't think there's anything impossible if you play one game at a time. I want to overcome the difficult process and see the best scenery." He said "This idea is because of our efforts, but Korea made it to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup. Seeing that made me think 'Japan can also do it' I think they are colleagues who compete with each other at a high level with Korea but lead Asia"I would be very happy to face Korea in the next tournament, in the World Cup final someday in the future. With that mindset, I want to challenge for the North Korea-China World Cup." Coach Hong said, "(The North-China World Cup) goal is to go to a place that the South Korean national team has never been to before. It is my mission to pursue this. advancing to the round of 16 may be one goal, but it is my role to create a strong team systematically and mentally for the rest of the tournament. I will try to do this every day." As Moriyasu said, "I want to see Japan face off in the World Cup final, and I want to make it happen."I had a meal with coach Takashi Sekizuka (who was the head coach of the Japanese Olympic team) ahead of the opening of the London Olympics." We talked about 'let's work hard with each other, let's share information as well', but we faced each other in the bronze medal match. I want to try to come back to this day as soon as possible."
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| ?談する韓?の洪明甫監督（左）と日本代表の森保一監督 |
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Korea and Japan are called close and distant neighbors. The Korea-Japan match is always followed by the title of 'Sadestive Confrontation'. Moriyasu said, `Korea is both a colleague and a competitor. I think it's not just a competing relationship, but a colleague who can share information as neighbors and raise the level together. (South Korea) is a leading colleague in Asia." He said, `The Korea-Japan match may be the most pressing match in the world. But that's why we have a chance to grow together. "In the future, I want the two countries to build a relationship toward the future, not the past, to fight in the world. The time (with coach Hong) is only one year (until the North-China World Cup), but I want to create something that can lead to the future for each other in that year," he stressed. Coach Hong said, `Japan is a country that developed me as a soccer player. It reminded me that I can't compete unless I'm technically and tactically solid"Japan's growth was also a motivation for Korea. I hope we can continue to grow and move forward together in the future."At the home game against Japan in the qualifying round for the World Cup in France, a banner saying, "Let's go to France together" was hung in the stands. Whenever South Korea reached the round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals during the 2002 World Cup, I heard that many people in Japan cheered for me. I hope we don't forget these things and make a new future" indicated the wind.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
