Lee Myung-jae, the fantasy free kick that broke the Pohang jinx, did something else thinking that no one would go inI'm going to go to the ACL
Oct 27, 2025
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Lee Myung-jae (Daejeon Hana Citizen) smiled broadly. Daejeon has stopped the Pohang jinx and is close to advancing to the Asian Champions League elite. Daejeon won 2-0 against the Pohang Steelers at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 26th with Lee Myung-jae's consecutive goals in the 34th round of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2025'. Daejeon beat Pohang for the first time in 15 games at home since August 2007. It was also the first scoreless game in 182 days since the match against Gangwon FC in April. Daejeon, which has won three consecutive games, has firmly maintained its third place with 58 points. It widened the point gap with fourth-place Pohang (51 points) to seven points.
Lee Myung-jae's goal in the 26th minute of the first half became a catalyst. Lee Myung-jae scored the winning goal with a fantastic left foot free kick. Lee Myung-jae, who was interviewed after the match, said "It was the first Final A match of the match. After coming up, I asked him to win all the games from the first game, but it came out well. The players prepared well, and a good opportunity came, so I was able to score."
I had a good feeling from the previous day. Lee Myung-jae "I had a good feeling recently, but it was especially good yesterday. "I said I'd kick it when I wasn't in the position where I was kicking it " and "I thought you'd think you'd kick it all close, so I looked the other way and kicked it. It's a good fit." What was the reaction of his colleagues. Lee Myung-jae said there were many players who did other things knowing if they would not go in. Everyone said they didn't see each other on the bench."
Lee Myung-jae's father visited the stadium on this day. Lee Myung-jae scored two goals this year, and my father saw them all. You won't say much even if you meet. He was so blunt that..."
With Lee Myung-jae's goal, Daejeon has overcome the tired Pohang home weakness. Lee Myung-jae "I didn't know, but I knew because the director told me. We said we had a lot of jinxes, but I think we woke up a lot. I don't think about jinx, so I ran thinking I could win. I prepared well with the goal of only participating in the Asian Champions League without paying attention to that."
Daejeon, which was somewhat sluggish in the summer, is showing a significant change as the weather cools down. Lee Myung-jae said "I've played a few games since I came in the summer, and there were a lot of disappointing games. They tied the game to win, and they lost the game to tie. I told the players that the strong team doesn't draw and lose like that. I told the players about my experience of winning the championship in Mingyu-hyung or Nana Ulsan. Players seem to think about that part when training, and they also think that they shouldn't eat easily. After that, I think I'm getting better and better as I play the winning game."
Lee Myung-jae is now perfectly adapted to the style of Daejeon, which emphasizes transition. He "I've gotten used to it a lot. At first, it was hard because it was only on the team that occupied the ball. "I told the players that it's hard to go back and forth between offense and defense, so we should take possession and make it difficult for the opponent, but it's gotten a lot better recently."
Lee Myung-jae's eyes are now heading to the Asian Champions League. Lee Myung-jae said "My original goal was to win. It's a shame that I was behind Jeonbuk. But the Asian Champions League is also important. Young players can grow further if they go to the Asian Champions League. Isn't it also the goal of Daejeon. I'm preparing well to go out."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
