"Only Cho Kyu-seong's goal was positive" — the sole consolation amid Midtjylland's poor performance... Danish local media: "A goal he desperately needed for himself"

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Danish side Midtjylland fell short of victory in an away match against Albania, delivering a below-expectation performance. Nevertheless, the goal scored by their striker Cho Kyu-seong was clearly evaluated as a "positive factor" locally.

On the 16th (Korean time), Midtjylland drew 1-1 with Egnatia in an away match during the league phase of the 2026~2027 UEFA Conference League, held at Elbasan Arena in Albania.

The Korean duo of Cho Kyu-seong and Hong Hyun-seok (27) both started as starters. Both players played the first 45 minutes before being substituted at halftime.

Although Midtjylland was assessed to have the upper hand in terms of objective strength, they were actually struck first.

In the 26th minute of the first half, Egnatia's Ildi Gruda scored the opening goal with a header, putting Midtjylland behind 0-1.

It was Cho Kyu-seong who saved Midtjylland from crisis. In the 33rd minute of the first half, Cho connected precisely with his head to Rasmus Christensen's cross, shaking the net. It was a valuable header goal that brought Midtjylland back to a 1-1 tie.

However, no additional goals were produced. Midtjylland failed to break through the opponent's defense in the second half as well and had to settle for one point.

Even in Denmark, where victory was expected, disappointment was expressed.

Danish media outlet Campo pointed out, "Midtjylland drew against Egnatia, a match in which they were clearly assessed as the favorites before the game," adding, "One has to look quite deeply to find positive factors."

However, they gave high praise for Cho Kyu-seong's goal. The media explained, "Coach Mikael Tullberg can still be pleased that Cho Kyu-seong has reactivated his scoring touch."

It continued, "The Korean striker had been waiting a long time to score. He managed only one goal in the Superliga this season," evaluating, "Therefore, the goal that made it 1-1 with a first-half header was a very necessary goal for Cho Kyu-seong."

Cho Kyu-seong touched the ball 10 times during his 45 minutes on the field, half of which—five touches—occurred inside the opponent's penalty box.

He attempted two shots, recording one on-target shot, which he directly converted into a goal. He completed four out of five passes accurately, achieving an 80% success rate.

He won one ground duel attempt and recorded one tackle and one ball recovery. Football statistics media FootMob gave Cho Kyu-seong a rating of 7.3.

Hong Hyun-seok, who also started, completed 17 out of 22 passes, recording a 77% success rate. He created two chances and accurately delivered the one long pass he attempted.

Defensively, he recorded two tackles, one clearance, and one ball recovery. His FootMob rating was 6.5.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original