"First goal through heavy rain." Cho Kyu-sung said, "I haven't scored in a while, but I'm happy to score."" EPL's winning goal away from Nottingham 'impressed'

*This content was translated by AI.

Mitwillan striker Cho Kyu-sung (28) delivered an emotional impression of scoring his first goal of the year.

Mitwillan won 1-0 thanks to Cho Kyu-sung's header winning goal in the first leg of the round of 16 of the "2025-2026 UEFA Europa League" against Nottingham Forest at The City Ground in Nottingham, England on the morning of the 13th (Korea time).

As a result, Mitwillan had an advantage in reaching the quarterfinals just by drawing at home in the second game. Earlier in the league phase, Mitwillan reached the round of 16 of the European tournament for the first time in the club's history, ranking third out of 36 teams (19 points).

This is the second face-off between the two teams this season. Mitwillan beat Nottingham 3-2 in October last year in the second leg of the league phase.

Cho Kyu-sung, who started the game on the bench, was deployed in the 12th minute of the second half, and Lee Han-beom came in two minutes later.

Cho Kyu-sung, who was looking for a chance at the front line, scored the winning goal in the 35th minute of the second half. Usman Diao, who exchanged the ball with Lee Han-beom, crossed long in front, and Cho Kyu-sung put his forehead into the corner of the net to break the net. Cho Kyu-sung roared and ran to director Mitwillan, hugging and rejoicing.

It is Cho Kyu-sung's first goal this year and his first goal in three months since scoring against Genk on December 12 last year. Cho Kyu-sung scored his seventh official goal this season. He has three Danish Superliga goals, two Danish Cup goals and two UEL goals.

According to "Foot Mob," which specializes in soccer statistics, Cho Kyu-sung had only nine ball touches during his 33-minute run. Among them, he showed high goal concentration, leading to a single opportunity to score. Footmob gave Cho a high-ranking rating of 7.2.

According to Mitwillan's official website, after the match, Cho expressed relief and commitment to the team for breaking the long-running goal silence. "We prepared really well and that showed the performance. This victory belongs to the entire team that everyone deserves," he said.

Regarding his scoring scene, he said, "I want to praise Diao's cross. Several moves to beat the defense were effective," he said. "Honestly, I haven't scored in a while, so I'm really happy to score again. But this victory was achieved by all of us, not by myself or individuals," he added.

In the second half of the day, he also shared a vivid back story about the underwater battle in the heavy rain. It rained tremendously during the last 30 minutes of the game, making it difficult to play a normal pass. "Actually, it's still cold now," said Cho Kyu-sung, who smiled, "It really rained a lot, and we've already talked about the situation on the bench even before the substitution was put in. Rather, he explained, "I felt that my opponent (Nottingham) was struggling when the rain poured in earnest," and revealed that he made clever use of the inclement weather.

Cho Kyu-sung's gaze, who secured a valuable away victory over the EPL team, was already on his way to the next game. Asked about the prospects for the second round of the round of 16 at home Henning a week later, he said, "We are doing well now. But as Manager Tulver emphasized in the locker room, it is more important to prepare for the upcoming Sunday's league (Championship Playoff) match against Norcellan, not next week's second game.

Finally, Cho Kyu-sung said, "We will enjoy this victory tonight, but we will start again from tomorrow."

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*This content was translated by AI.