"(Song) Min-gyu, you're not registered yet? Come back again!"... Kim Ki-dong reveals the 'behind-the-scenes' story as Song Min-gyu, who lost his coach in Europe, is addressed [Sangam]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Ki-dong, head coach of FC Seoul, shared a cheerful behind-the-scenes story about his former student Song Min-gyu, who has moved to Europe.

Seoul will host Incheon at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 5th at 7 p.m. in Round 27 of the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2026'. Currently sitting with 56 points, Seoul has maintained an unbeaten streak of six matches (four wins and two draws), including four consecutive victories recently. They have comfortably pulled away from second-place Ulsan HD (40 points) by a margin of 16 points. Among the 12th teams in K League 1, Seoul under Coach Kim is the only team to record four consecutive wins this season.

In contrast, their opponent Incheon, currently in eighth place with 34 points, has been stuck in a slump of two consecutive matches without a win (one draw and one loss). With just a single point separating them from sixth-place Pohang Steelers (35 points), the threshold for advancing to the upper split, securing a victory is crucial for escaping the lower tier. In their two head-to-head matchups this season, Seoul under Coach Kim has won both matches (2-1 and 1-0).

Before the match, head coach Kim Ki-dong expressed trust in his players despite some changes to the starting lineup. Regarding Park Sung-hoon, who replaced key defender Yazan and earned a spot in the lineup, Coach Kim said, "He also played as part of the rotation during the Round 1 away game against Incheon and helped secure a victory." He added, "If he can regain his form and perform brilliantly today, it will be a great boost for him personally," expressing high expectations.

Regarding Krimala, who expressed frustration and regret after missing a goal in the previous game, Coach Kim said, "On that day, other teammates scored goals, so he should have scored as well to stay in contention for the top scorer race. From his perspective, it must have been disappointing that he couldn't score."

He continued, "Teammates were also eager to score, so there were several situations where Krimala could have easily scored if they had passed him the ball slightly more. However, they didn't pass it to him. It seems his disappointment was expressed more about this aspect than anything else."

Although the team has been on a scoring streak recently, Coach Kim also emphasized "defensive concentration." He stated, "Incheon is very quick in transitioning to counterattacks, and they have a striker who can score immediately if given even the slightest opening. Players must not relax their focus inside or outside the box for the full 90 minutes." He added, "It will be crucial that players do not become complacent but maintain tight pressure, denying opponents space and time, as this will be the most important factor in securing victory today."

Coach Kim also shared a heartwarming anecdote about his former student Song Min-gyu, who recently left the team. Upon learning that the new club's head coach had been dismissed immediately after Song's transfer, Coach Kim said, "I heard this through the club as well," and added, "There is a group chat among the players, so everyone was aware of it." He then laughed, saying, "(The players) jokingly told him, 'You're not even registered yet, just come back,' and (Song Min-gyu) looked flustered, asking, 'How can I go?'"

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*This content was translated by AI.