It is time to regain the lead. At the center is striker Hong Yoon-sang (22), who has scored four goals in the last five games.
After graduating from Pohang Iron & Steel Institute, Pohang Iron & Steel Middle School and Pohang Iron & Steel High School, Hong Yoon-sang, a “Seonggol Youth,” joined the first team in 2021 and then left for Wolfsburg, Germany. He played in the same year for Jean-Krfölten (Austria) and Nuremberg (Germany). Then, he returned to Pohang last year and played in 11 games and scored two goals.
He was not a solid starting player. He was a U-22 player, but he had to compete with Ko Young-joon and Kim Jun-ho. Coach Park Tae-ha has firmly established his position after taking the helm this season. He had been sidelined for a month due to injury at the AFC U-23 Asian Cup in April, but has been in charge of a side since the match against Gangwon FC in May.
He has a strong sense of goal. He remained silent for nearly a month after scoring a goal in the season against Jeju United on May 12, but he scored his second goal in the match against Ulsan HD on May 30 and has scored four goals in recent five games.
In the away match against Daejeon Hana Citizen in the 24th round of the “Hana Bank K League 1 2024” held at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 21st, he scored an equalizer in the first minute of the second half, trailing 0-1. At the beginning of the second half, Jung Jae-hee, who was substituted, crossed from the right side and Hong Yoon-sang finished with a header at the gate.
Two minutes after the goal, Lee Ho-jae, who received a pass from Heo Yong-joon, scored a come-from-behind goal with a right-footed shot. As Pohang accumulated 44 points, it regained the lead by beating over Gimcheon Sangmu (43 points) and Ulsan (42 points). 안전놀이터 The team continued its 5-1 victory over FC Seoul in the quarterfinals at the Korea Cup.
Hong is increasingly incorporated into the coach’s tactics. Up until now, he focused on creating chances along with penetrating the sides, but this season is different. To Hong, who boasts dribbles and high-quality passes by using fast feet, coach Park hoped to take the opportunity to shoot by himself by coming into the penalty box rather than penetrating from the sides. Although he had difficulty implementing the strategy in the early days of the season, Hong is gradually incorporating the tactics he is drawing.
As a result, Hong and Park are getting satisfactory results. The presence of Hong, one of the best young guns in the K-League, is another boost for Pohang to compete for the lead.