It was like playing at Jeonbuk Hyundai home.
Jeonbuk Hyundai won the first Group H match of the 2024-2025 Asian Football Confederation Champions League against Dynamic Hub Cebu FC at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, Philippines, at 9 p.m. on the 19th (Korea time).
Jeonbuk, which won three points without difficulty, rose to the top of Group H, beating Muangtong United (1 point) and Selangor (1 point), which had previously drawn.
The game was held at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, not at Dynamic Hub Sports Complex, which is the home stadium of Cebu. Dynamic Hub Sports Complex is a small stadium with a capacity of only 900 people because it did not meet the conditions to host ACL games.
The artificial turf at the stadium where the game was held was of poor quality, which is hard to see even in Korea. Jeonbuk succeeded in earning three points in the first game through various unfavorable conditions such as grass.
The driving force behind Jeonbuk’s victory was the enthusiastic singing of the cheering squad that followed it all the way to Manila, the Philippines. At the start of the game, a loud Jeonbuk cheering song rang out from the stand on the other side of the press box.
No wonder, the match was held in Manila, not in Cebu’s home stadium, Dynamic Herb Stadium. The city is 870 kilometers from Cebu. It is too far for home fans to visit the stadium on weekdays. The atmosphere of the stadium was similar to that of the Jeonbuk home.
Jin Tae-ho’s first goal, Kim Chang-hoon’s additional goal and Moon Seon-min’s third goal were all scored in the first half. The reporter visited the Jeonbuk cheering squad in person.
They were gathered in one place wearing Jeonbuk jerseys, most of whom did not know each other, were “men” who met on the spot through this game.
I talked with Jeong Hwan-do (38), who sang the loudest cheerleading song among them. He arrived in the Philippines with his wife on July 18. He was going to watch it on May 19 and then go back to Korea on May 20. He really flew in to watch this one game.
Jeong Hwan-do, who cheered loudly throughout the first half with his wife, said, “I’m an old Jeonbuk fan,” adding, “I’m here just for the game.”
How did he watch the first half? “I was worried because I was grassy at the beginning of the game, but I quickly scored the first goal and then widened the gap to watch it comfortably,” Jeong said.
Who stood out the most? “Jin Tae-ho stood out. I’m looking forward to it,” Jeong said, expressing his expectations to Jin Tae-ho, a promising player born in 2006.
In fact, Jin Tae-ho scored the first goal with a header, assisted Kim Chang-hoon’s goal with a sensational pass, and was selected as the Man of the Match (MOM) after the end of the game. 메이저사이트
Jin Tae-ho, who made his professional debut through this game, said, “I played for the first time in a professional game. I was nervous at first because the ball didn’t come, but the performance came out as the goal was scored quickly.”
At the same time, he said, “My physical strength was unstable as I couldn’t keep up with the tempo of the older players in the second half. It’s a shame that I lost my concentration.”