'Loss in a six-point showdown' Daegu FC Manager Choi Sung-yong: "We are on the brink, but we will run again toward promotion" [Mokdong Field Report]

*This content was translated by AI.

Choi Sung-yong (51), manager of Daegu FC, expressed his regret over losing a crucial six-point match.

On the 19th at 7 p.m., Daegu suffered a narrow 1-2 defeat in an away match against Seoul E-Land at Mokdong Stadium as part of Round 27 of the 'Hana Bank K League 2 2026'.

As a result of this intense six-point battle, the standings between the two teams were reversed. Daegu, whose unbeaten streak in six matches (four wins and two draws) came to an end, dropped from third to fourth place with 46 points (13 wins, 7 draws, 6 losses). Meanwhile, Seoul E-Land, now with 48 points (14 wins, 6 draws, 6 losses), moved up to third place. Although they are tied on points with second-place Suwon FC, they trail in goal difference.

Daegu conceded the opening goal to Jo Jun-hyun in the 28th minute of the first half but equalized in the 41st minute when Decker headed in a cross from Sezingya's corner kick. However, they conceded an additional goal early in the second half to Park Jae-yong. Although Daegu launched a full-scale attack toward the end of the match centered around Sezingya and Decker, they were unable to find an equalizer.

After the match, Manager Choi Sung-yong began his press conference by saying, "I am sorry we could not deliver a victory to the fans who traveled from afar." He continued, "The players executed our prepared tactics well, but it was disappointing that we failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities and made small mistakes in defensive situations. As a manager, I feel my shortcomings."

Regarding tactical changes during the game, he explained, "We attempted to shift to a four-back formation and add more attackers around the 20th minute of the second half to decide the outcome, but we had to accelerate our formation change after conceding an early goal." On disappointing moments such as passing errors, he diagnosed, "We need to improve our lack of decisive finishing judgment in split seconds, easy turnovers, and mistakes made during transitions between offense and defense."

On the drop in standings amid fierce competition for top positions, he stated, "Although we have fallen behind after losing points to Seoul E-Land, we still have time to prepare again for our ultimate goal of promotion. We will approach all remaining matches with the mindset that we are on the brink."

As key tasks for a late-season turnaround, he highlighted adjusting the balance between offense and defense and utilizing injured players upon their return. Manager Choi Sung-yong announced, "As injured players like Edgar return, we will intensify our efforts to strengthen our attack while figuring out how to stabilize our defense and determine the best way to utilize foreign players."

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*This content was translated by AI.