"I want to keep the pride of the Korean striker." It should be above the scoring table than the foreign players."
After Joo Min-kyu (35, Daejeon Hana Citizen) of the 'Representational Striker of Korea' hit a revival shot in eight games, he emphasized the pride of the 'Native Striker'. Along with Joo Min-kyu's goal, Daejeon's 'Bang' three points also returned. Daejeon came from behind to win 3-2 at home against Suwon FC in the 25th round of Hana Bank's K League 1 2025 on the 10th. It pushed Gimcheon by two points and ranked second in the league (11 wins, 9 draws, 5 losses, 42 points). It is the first valuable home victory in 78 days since the match against Daegu (2-1 win) on May 24.
On this day, Daejeon was on the flow with Choi Geon-ju's first goal in 56 seconds of the whistle, but lost 1-2 in the extra time of the first half by giving up consecutive goals to Suwon Sabak and Luan. At a time when Suwon FC Andrigo's goal was erased and Daejeon fans swept their hearts, Joo Min-kyu returned. In the 30th minute of the second half, Joo Min-kyu, who took over Kim Joon-beom's kill pass, lightly shook the net with his right foot. Eight goals in eight games since the match against Pohang on May 27 and the league's 11th goal have finally been scored. In the 36th minute of the second half, the Daejeon World Cup Stadium heated up when Joo Min-kyu hit the crossbar with a bold shot fired over goalkeeper Ahn Jun-su's height from the half-line. Daejeon, which gained momentum, eventually turned the game around with Kim Joon-beom's comeback goal in the 37th minute of the second half, and cheered for the thrilling home victory. He tied for second after Jeon Jin-woo (12 goals, Jeonbuk Hyundai) in the top scorer race.
'Jupo' It was a game that caught both the revival of Joo Min-gyu and the victory at home. After the game, Joo Min-kyu said, `It was so hard that I didn't know how to convey my feelings. There was a game where I scored a goal and won, but my team's performance was poor because I didn't score a goal"I looked back. "It started all over again. I looked back on how I managed my body and how I prepared for the game. I had experience since Ulsan last year, so I was confident that I could get through it. I was able to get out of the long tunnel thanks to the coaches and colleagues who trusted me without saying anything.
Asked about Joo's poor performance before the game, head coach Hwang Sun-hong defended it, saying, `It's not a matter of individual players, but it's necessary to match the team as a whole.' "It would be nice if the striker scored every time, but it's not easy, so it's going to be hard psychologically. I'm also tired of being asked so many questions. But you have to understand me, what can I do?" he asked back. As a Korean legend striker, he said, `I fully understand' his junior Joo Min-kyu's slump. "The players themselves are taking a cool approach. I'm glad you have a lot of experience and you'll overcome it well. I want you to open the door a little bit today." As coach Hwang wished, Joo Min-kyu opened the scoring again. Coach Hwang was pleased after the game, saying "Mingyu did 'Now we have to start again'." Joo Min-kyu shook his head in response to manager Hwang Sun-hong's comment that the slump so far was a problem for the team, not for individuals. "That's what the director said to me. Goal silence is my personal problem. If there was no chance, it would be a team problem, but the chance was definitely there, and it was my problem that I couldn't solve it." "I feel sorry for the team. I will take responsibility and try harder as earnestly as I did today."
As a secret to his comeback victory, he delivered Hwang Sun-hong's half-time message. "After the first half, I came in with a 1-2 loss, and the coach's words touched my heart. 'Even if I lose, I'm responsible. Even if you lose, you should do everything you can with confidence." "I wouldn't have tried shooting that matched the par post in the second half as usual, but as the coach said, let's do everything we want with confidence." I felt at ease. Making the players more active and confident is the secret to today's victory."
Asked if the 35-year-old striker still wants to start, full-time, Joo Min-kyu said, `I want to play 90 minutes as the best player in every game. I am confident and passionate. Otherwise, I think we should take off our soccer boots," he said firmly. "Regardless of my age, I want to keep the pride of the Korean striker. Foreign strikers have good abilities and score a lot of goals, but I want to be a striker who breaks that prejudice. I always think that I should be above the scoring table rather than foreign players. If a foreign player fails to put it in, it is called 'adaptation problem', but if a Korean player fails to put it in, there is an image that 'As expected, he cannot put it in'. I want to break that prejudice," he said emphatically.
The revival of resident regulation is the revival of Daejeon. This is why head coach Hwang Sun-hong said, `We should use the victory in the home turf as a catalyst for a rebound.' On the day when the team regained the second place with the score tied for the 11th goal, Joo Min-kyu was asked again about the goals of the individual and the team. A clear answer came back. "There is no personal goal. The team goal is to write the history of Daejeon. It is not easy to win the league in the current situation, but I will not give up easily. The next goal after winning the championship is to qualify for the Asian Champions League (ACL)."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
