Suwon was pushed to the brink... 'Theater-style narrow victory' Cheonan manager Park Jin-seop: "The result was due to the difference in managerial ability" [Suwon]

*This content was translated by AI.

After a fierce five-goal exchange with Suwon Samsung, which was acknowledged as a championship contender, the manager expressed deep regret after conceding a heartbreaking late winner just before the final whistle, resulting in a narrow loss.

Cheonan engaged in a tenacious comeback, equalizing twice during the away match against Suwon at Suwon World Cup Stadium at 4:30 p.m. on the 25th in the Hana Bank K-League 2 2026 Round 13, but ultimately lost 2-3 after conceding a late winner to Paulinho in stoppage time. As a result, Cheonan fell into a slump of three consecutive matches without a win (one draw, two losses), remaining in 11th place in the league.

Cheonan manager Park Jin-seop stated after the match press conference, "It was a difficult away game. The opposing Suwon was strong," adding, "The players fought well until the end. The result of this match was due to the difference in managerial ability."

On this day, Cheonan fell behind after conceding the opening goal to Song Ju-hoon in the 23rd minute of the first half, but regained balance with an equalizer by Lee Sang-jun in the 12th minute of the second half. Despite conceding another goal to Ilyuchenko in the 28th minute of the second half, Lee Jun-ho scored a dramatic equalizer in the 41st minute, pushing Suwon to the brink.

However, regarding the concession of space behind the defense, manager Park Jin-seop explained, "We need to analyze the goal-scoring scene more, but it seems there was a miscommunication of signals among the players. There was always a promise made at the end, but the players did not seem to recognize it well. It seems there is a need for better communication."

However, the goal conceded in the final moments of stoppage time during a corner kick situation, despite a valiant effort, was painful. Goalkeeper Park Daehyun caught the ball but lost it while getting tangled with the defensive line, and Paulinho pushed it in. Although video assistant referee (VAR) and on-field review took a long time, the referee upheld Suwon's goal.

Regarding the final goal situation and the video review result, manager Park Jin-seop replied, "I asked the referee to explain the situation again. It is the referee's discretion. Therefore, the goal was recognized."

Cheonan, which showed the potential of a surprise team by playing an even match against the strong Suwon team away, now has two remaining matches to play before the upcoming World Cup break. Manager Park Jin-seop said, "We have not won in the last three matches, but the players are doing well," and added, "It seems we need a striker who can score goals in the attack. We will make up for the shortcomings through practice."

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*This content was translated by AI.