The dictionary meaning of ‘IF’ is ‘what if~ramen.’ It started with the idea that anyone could become a soccer journalist with the slogan ‘If I were to become a soccer journalist.’ With ‘No. 1’ soccer magazine ‘4Foto,’ which has the largest circulation in the world, will share various soccer news from K-League, PL, and La Liga. Please look forward to it! [Editor’s Note]
Daegu, which has no wins in three consecutive games, will bring home Daejeon, which has fallen to the bottom.
Daegu FC and Daejeon Hana Citizen will face off in the eighth round of the “Hana Bank K League 1 2024” at DGB Daegu Bank Park at 4:30 p.m. on the 21st. Currently, the home team Daegu ranks 11th in the league with one win, three draws and three losses and six points, while the away team Daejeon ranks at the bottom of the league with one win, two draws and four losses and five points.
Daegu is facing an unprecedented situation, as it is bringing Daejeon home. Daegu, which ranked sixth in the league last year under coach Choi Won-kwon and successfully advanced to the Final A in two years, has hardly been able to display momentum since the opening of the 2024 season. Daegu, which lost 0-1 to Gimcheon Sangmu in the opening match of the league, lost 1-3 to Pohang in an away match and suffered a 1-1 draw at Suwon FC.
After the A-match break in March, Daegu recorded its long-awaited first win of the season against Gwangju FC, but fell to 11th place in the league with two draws and one loss in three league games since entering April. In addition, in the third round of the Korea Cup at home on the 17th, it lost 1-2 to K League 2 Chungcheongbuk-do Cheongju after a close game. In the bitter defeat, Daegu’s main striker Vaselus collapsed due to injury, leading to a loss of power.
In the end, Daegu coach Choi Won-kwon made a decision. On Friday, Choi conveyed his intention to voluntarily resign, citing his responsibility for his recent poor performance, and the club decided to accept Choi’s will after much consideration. Daegu said that coach Jeong Seon-ho will temporarily act as the manager from the home game against Daejeon.
Daejeon is also having a hard time getting off to a good start to the season. As a promotion team member last year, he stayed in the league and looked to a higher position in the 2024 season, but his start was not easy. He gained high expectations by recruiting a large number of proven resources from the league such as Lee Soon-min, Aaron and Kim Seung-dae, but has garnered only one win in seven matches since the league opened, drawing regret.
Daejeon, which had recorded two draws and two losses in the month of March after the season opened, rebounded by beating “giant” Ulsan 2-0 in its first match in April, but it collapsed after losing two consecutive games against Pohang-Suwon FC. After being shaken up in the league, Daejeon temporarily recovered its disappointing atmosphere by winning the Korea Cup. Against Jinju Citizens’ Soccer Team of the K3 League, Mafia and Shin Sang-eun scored back-to-back goals to beat them 2-0 at home. They are also aiming for a victory in their away match in Daegu.
The goal of both teams at the bottom of the league’s ranking table is victory by far. Daegu, ranked 11th in the league, can leap to the middle if it records a victory, and Daejeon, which fell to the bottom, can also go up to 9th place, so victory is desperately needed. In the end, both teams that need to win must have firepower in a silent attack.
Daegu has recorded five goals in seven league matches, making it the league’s smallest scorer. With Cesinha, Edgar, Beltola, and Vasselus, who are the team’s main players, likely to be absent due to injury, young players such as Ko Jae-hyun, Yoshino, and Park Se-jin should focus on offense. Daejeon is also having difficulty in offense. With only six goals in seven league matches, the team needs freshman striker Duo Mrapa, Hosa’s toes and line breaker Kim Seung-dae’s scoring ability.
Daegu is leading by a small margin in overall records between the two teams. Daegu, which has the upper hand with 15 wins, 18 draws, and 14 losses in a total of 47 face-to-face meetings, laughed 2-1 in three face-to-face meetings last year. In addition, Daegu has not allowed a single defeat to Daejeon at home since June 2014. After all, Daegu must continue its jinx in a good mood, and Daejeon must break the bad jinx without fail. 밤알바
Daejeon and Daegu, which are on the verge of crisis, met. Who will be the winner of the showdown between Daegu, which suffered a shock elimination from the Korea Cup with no win in three consecutive games, and Daejeon, which fell to the bottom of the table with two consecutive losses.