"Winning without Araujo — we have to give them a round of applause": Opposing coach acknowledges Woori Card's comeback... How did it happen? [Jangchung on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Raphael, head coach of Korean Air, applauded the performance of Woori Card, which avenged its Cup tournament defeat despite being without its top scorer. While the team thoroughly analyzed opposing setter Han Tae-jun to gain an advantage in the first set, it was assessed that they struggled against Woori Card's changed game management and tenacious defense thereafter.

Korean Air lost 2-3 in sets (25-18, 22-25, 16-25, 25-22, 12-15) to Woori Card in the Round 1 away match of the 2026~2027 V-League men's division held at Seoul Jangchung Gymnasium on the 11th.

With this result, Korean Air recorded a 1 win and 2 losses (4 points). On the other hand, Woori Card maintained its sole lead with 8 points after achieving three consecutive wins since the opening of the season.

It was a disappointing loss for Korean Air. Having thoroughly defeated Woori Card 3-0 in the KOVO Cup semifinals on the 24th of last month, Korean Air also took the first set 25-18 to seize the initiative on this day. However, they were shaken by the opponent's counterattack from the second set onward. In particular, they failed to regain the lead even against Woori Card, which had lost its top scorer Raphael Araujo due to right knee pain.

Although Ketchinski scored 20 points, Jung Ji-seok 17 points, and Kim Gyu-min 12 points for Korean Air, they bowed out with 38 team errors against Woori Card's 17.

After the match, Coach Raphael first acknowledged the opponent's performance when meeting with reporters. He evaluated, "Woori Card put us in a very difficult situation many times today. Considering how well they handled balls dug up by defense and rebound blocks, as well as seizing opportunities in counterattack situations, they played a good game." He added, "Winning without Araujo is also a valuable victory for Woori Card. I think we should give them a round of applause for that part."

He pointed to the drop in blocking efficiency from the second set onward as the turning point of the match. Korean Air dominated Woori Card with 6 blocks in the first set, but failed to maintain that momentum thereafter. Coach Raphael explained, "Han Tae-jun is a very important player for Woori Card. In the first set, we followed our analysis and leading against Han Tae-jun well. As a result, we managed to record 6 blocks."

He continued, "However, as blocking efficiency started to drop from the second set, it seems the players were a bit shaken. We also began to get slightly disorganized in other aspects." He reflected, "Looking at the statistics of the second set, Korean Air's records were not that bad either, but Woori Card showed better numbers."

Regarding losing the fifth set after winning the fourth, he analyzed that small differences decided the outcome. Coach Raphael said, "It seemed to be a difference in very small details. We hit good serves, but every time, the opponent handled the ball well even when their reception was shaken. There were also attacks that went out after hitting our blocking fingertips."

He further emphasized, "The fifth set was very intense, but ultimately Woori Card played a better game than us. It is not because of any specific player, nor was there one precise cause."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original