It's as fast as Moon Sun-min! 'Gimcheon Super Joker' Kim In-gyun's secret to the dramatic winning goal that toppled Seoul: Was it his vacation? "To demand it boldly..." [Sangam Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

Gimcheon's 'Super Joker' Kim In-gyun (28) hooked the 'big fish' FC Seoul with a fantastic winning goal.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, Gimcheon secured a 3-2 comeback victory against Seoul in the 11th round of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2026' held at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Having defeated BucheonFC in the previous match to claim their first win of the season, Gimcheon continued their two-game winning streak by also capturing the league-leading Seoul. With 13 points (2 wins, 7 draws, 2 losses), they jumped from 10th to 7th place.

It was Kim In-gyun who turned the tide of Seoul's dominance and led Gimcheon to victory. Substituted in during the 24th minute of the second half while trailing 1-2, Kim In-gyun kept a sharp eye out for opportunities, leveraging his signature speed and concentration. His incisive movements constantly probing the space behind Seoul's defense posed a major threat to the fatigued Seoul defenders in the second half.

Then, in the 35th minute of the second half, Kim In-gyun's winning goal finally exploded. After a long pass from the back was mishandled by Seoul defender Yazan, who failed to clear it properly, Kim In-gyun seized the opportunity and surged fiercely forward. In a one-on-one situation against the goalkeeper, he remained calm and cleanly shot the ball into the net. It was a moment where the 'Joker' Kim In-gyun's terrifying concentration, which did not miss a critical chance, shone brightly.

Before the match, Gimcheon head coach Joo Seung-jin confidently stated, "Kim In-gyun has speed comparable to Moon Sun-min. If we can utilize Kim In-gyun, we can improve," and added, "Our concept is to draw opponents in and then attack the space behind them." The strategy proved to be a perfect fit.

Meeting Kim In-gyun in the mixed zone after the match, he smiled and said, "I expected the away game against Seoul to be difficult, but I'm happy that the team united and secured a victory."

Today's winning goal was a collaboration between head coach Joo Seung-jin's meticulous planning and Kim In-gyun's ability to execute the tactics. When asked about the instructions given by head coach Joo at the time of his substitution, Kim explained, "It seems the coach wants perfection from me. He told me that once we enter the second half and get possession, we can shake up the opponent, their stamina will drop, and space will open up. So I tried to bother them as much as possible."

He continued, "Seoul is performing so well that it's hard to pinpoint specific weaknesses, but I expected them to tire out in the second half regardless. I particularly thought the space behind the full-backs would open up significantly, and exploiting that part proved effective."

Today's goal was Kim In-gyun's emotional debut goal since joining Gimcheon. It was also his first goal in nearly a year since scoring while playing for Daejeon Hana Citizen. Receiving warm congratulations from his teammates, he expressed his overwhelming feelings: "It was a goal I really wanted to score personally, and I'm even happier because I scored against Seoul, who is leading the league. From now on, I will approach things with the mindset of starting anew."

After the match, head coach Joo Seung-jin expressed his regret over Kim In-gyun's limited playing time. He said, "In-gyun had a difficult time not being able to play in matches for a while," and added, "He endured it silently. I also wanted to utilize In-gyun and thought a lot about how to use him." He further stated, "In-gyun was also given the opportunity to fully display his skills through individual interviews, and the results appeared quickly."

Hearing this, Kim In-gyun showed a mature, professional attitude. "As a player, of course, I have the desire to start in the lineup. However, since the coach gave me a specific mission, faithfully fulfilling my role in the given position is the natural duty of a professional," he emphasized.

He continued, "It's true that I didn't play many matches in the early stages, and when given the chance, I didn't fully display my skills, so I felt I must repay the coach. I tried to communicate a lot and respond to the trust, and today's result followed from that."

He then added, "I felt personally very sorry for not showing proper performance until now, but since I gained confidence from today, I will strive to show more of the good images the coach desires in the future," solidifying his determination.

There was a special driving force behind why Gimcheon shows a particularly strong performance when facing Seoul. Kim In-gyun burst out laughing and revealed, "Given the nature of a military team, there is a clear motivation called 'vacation'."

He continued, "We need to win the match to have a reason to request vacation from the Chief of Staff or the Game Commander. It seems we have secured a definite reason by achieving this two-game winning streak, which became a major driving force." He added, "The coach is also taking the lead to arrange vacations for us, but first, we must secure results to be able to demand it boldly, so the players united more and played hard."

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*This content was translated by AI.