North Korea 'Nae-hyang' defeated, but "It was a great joy"... Coach Park Gil-young recalls the 'cheers and applause' amidst heavy rain he will never forget

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Gil-young (46), head coach of women's soccer team SuwonFC Wimin, expressed his gratitude to Korean fans who showed enthusiastic support.

SuwonFC Wimin lost 1-2 to North Korea's Nae-hyang Women's Football Team in the AFC Women's Champions League (AWCL) semi-final held at Suwon Sports Complex on the 20th. As a result, SuwonFC's challenge for the Asian title unfortunately ended in the semi-finals.

The process was as bitter as the result. It was not solely due to performance. Although the match was held at SuwonFC Wimin's home ground, the atmosphere felt unfamiliar. Cheers for the opposing team, North Korea's Nae-hyang Women's Football Team, rang out loudly. In fact, this match drew significant attention beyond the game itself due to the North Korean team's visit to South Korea. In preparation for the match, over 200 organizations related to unification formed a joint support group of approximately 3,000 people.

Amidst heavy rain, the support group occasionally chanted the name of the North Korean team, "Nae-hyang." Especially as cheers for Nae-hyang Women's Football Team grew louder from the first half, it became an inevitable scene of regret for the home team, SuwonFC Wimin.

After the match, Coach Park Gil-young was seen shedding tears. He said, "We are a South Korean national football team. We felt upset and our hearts were heavy for various reasons," revealing his complex emotions at the time.

Coach Park Gil-young delivered another message. This time, gratitude outweighed the regret. Through the club, Coach Park said, "From the day we took our first step in the AWCL last November until today, I sincerely thank everyone who has accompanied our journey."

He continued, "First, thank you to our Fortress (supporters) who shouted our players' names with all their might even in the heavy rain. Thanks to you, I think we will never forget that night. Seeing every single spot you protected, my players and I did not feel lonely. Thank you sincerely for always being with us."

Coach Park also said, "The applause from the media personnel who stayed after the post-match press conference will also be something I never forget. I know well how rare it is to offer such praise to the losing team. Through this tournament, I sincerely hope that interest in women's soccer continues. It was the first time for us to have so many spectators and so many journalists gathered in one place, and it was a great joy. In the future, we ask for your continued interest and support for the WK League and South Korean women's soccer."

He added, "And right now, at this very moment, to the SuwonFC front office family who are continuously running alongside the team in unseen places, you have worked very hard. We were able to reach this point thanks to your dedication. I sincerely thank you."

SuwonFC Wimin will now return to the WK League to challenge for the championship. Currently, SuwonFC Wimin is in 4th place in the league with 5 wins and 2 losses (15 points). However, since they have played one fewer game than the top teams, they can quickly move to the top. Coach Park Gil-young said, "It is painful to end our journey in the semi-finals, but our players did their best from start to finish, and they have no regrets. We will definitely stand at the top of the WK League again and challenge for the Asian champion title once more. We ask for your support."

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*This content was translated by AI.