'0-0 Draw' Kim Ki-dong, Satisfaction and Regret: "We Countered Gangwon's Activity Well... Finishing is the Task" [Sangam Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Ki-dong (55), manager of FC Seoul, expressed both satisfaction and regret following the draw against Gangwon FC.

Seoul and Gangwon played to a 0-0 scoreless draw in the 17th round of 'Hana Bank K-League 1 2026' at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the afternoon of the 12th, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Both teams shared one point each. Seoul, which had gone unbeaten in four matches (three wins and one draw), surged to the top with 36 points (11 wins, three draws, three losses). Gangwon, unbeaten in seven matches (four wins and three draws), maintained third place with 28 points (seven wins, seven draws, three losses).

Seoul launched attacks early in the first half with Anderson and Klemmala leading the charge, but it did not go as planned. They substituted in Song Min-gyu at the start of the second half to seek a goal but ultimately failed to break through Gangwon's defense. In the final moments of the match, facing a one-on-one crisis conceded by Abdullah during stoppage time amid Gangwon's relentless assault, Gu Seong-yun made a spectacular save with instinctive reflexes, preserving the precious point.

After the match, manager Kim Ki-dong reflected: "We anticipated that chances would be scarce before the game, and indeed they were. Despite the hot weather, the players showed many of the preparations we had worked on in a short time, which was a positive aspect."

He continued, "In the first half, we effectively read Gangwon's play, blocked their attacks, and moved forward. I want to praise them for playing exceptionally well in the first half," while also expressing regret over the second-half result that yielded no goals. Manager Kim added, "It is regrettable that we failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities and instead conceded a crisis at the end. However, the players performed well enough."

Manager Kim Ki-dong stated, "We were already aware of Gangwon's players' strong physicality and high activity levels, so we instructed our team to match them with equal intensity. In particular, we employed a tactic of aggressively pressing Seo Min-woo and Lee Yu-hyun to avoid being outmatched in midfield, and the players executed this strategy well."

Regarding the substitution of Song Min-gyu as a tactical move at the start of the second half, he explained: "Song Min-gyu certainly has physical limitations, but given his exceptional skill level and our assessment that the opponent would feel fatigue in the second half, we believed that if he could contribute even one attacking point, it would be a valuable opportunity."

He also shared his candid thoughts on officiating decisions. "The handball foul controversy in the first half was regrettable. Judging from the reactions of the bench and players, it appeared to be a foul, but the video assistant referee (VAR) review declared no foul, which was very disappointing." Nevertheless, he added, "However, the decision has been made and must be respected."

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*This content was translated by AI.