“Knee pain” star foreign player’s mid-game exit: Head coach says “It actually worked out for us”… How did Woori Card achieve a three-game winning streak to open the season? [On-site at Jangchung]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Woori Card head coach Park Chul-woo expressed satisfaction with the fighting spirit of his players who defeated Korean Air despite the injury-related absence of their star foreign player Raphael Araujo (registered name: Araujo, 35), as well as the team’s changed atmosphere.

On the 11th, in a home game against Korean Air at Seoul Jangchung Gymnasium for the first round of the 2026-2027 V-League men’s division, Woori Card won with a set score of 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 15-12).

With this victory, Woori Card maintained its sole lead at the top of the standings with a three-game winning streak to open the season (8 points in total). They also avenged the sweep defeat they suffered against Korean Air in the KOVO Cup semifinals on the 24th of last month, doing so just 18 days later.

It was not an easy win. After dropping the first set 18-25, Woori Card faced the setback of their star player Araujo leaving the game from the second set due to right knee pain. However, substitute Kim Dong-young scored 16 points and Han Seong-jeong added 18, while Kim Hyeong-geun and Park Jin-woo each contributed 12 points. In particular, Woori Card suppressed their own unforced errors to 17, overcoming Korean Air, who committed 38.

After the match, Coach Park stated, “Araujo’s knee has not been in good shape, so we have been managing his condition while letting him play, but today he felt a bit off.” He added, “When he said he was in pain, I actually thought it was for the best. I decided it would be better to manage his condition and prepare for the next game, and the players who came in performed exceptionally well.”

The coach placed particular trust in Kim Dong-young, who filled Araujo’s void. Coach Park praised him, saying, “Kim Dong-young is not a player without ability. He is short in stature, but his legs are fast and his swing is quick. His advantage lies in competing with speed rather than hitting power.” He continued, “I thought that playing alongside Han Tae-jun would allow for more diverse plays. He also showed good form in receiving and defense today.”

The performance of libero Kim Young-jun was also noteworthy. Substituting for Oh Jae-sung, who had been struggling with back issues, Kim Young-jun contributed to the team’s comeback victory with tenacious defense.

Coach Park evaluated him by saying, “After the game ended, I told our general manager that I was grateful he kept (internal FA) Kim Young-jun. He was an FA, and he himself wanted to stay with the team, so we were thankful the club retained him.” He added, “His receiving touch has been quite good since training began. He is a player with a high understanding of defensive tactics. It was really great to see him push the ball close to an A-pass today.”

This victory held special significance for Coach Park due to memories of a sharp slump following a winning streak earlier last year. He recalled, “When old memories keep coming back, it makes me anxious. Last year, after two consecutive wins, we beat OK Savings Bank and then went on a six-game losing streak, I believe. I did not want to repeat that sequence.”

He continued, “The players may also feel anxious, thinking, ‘Are we going to end up like that again?’ That is why today’s win was desperately needed.” He added, “All the players who came in today performed incredibly well. We could see the fruits of our labor from the six months during which we struggled so hard.”

However, with the competition for starting positions becoming fierce, he expressed his intention to pay close attention to managing the player roster. Coach Park emphasized, “It is good to have many players to deploy, but there is a risk that the team could fall apart. Players might think, ‘Why am I not getting in?’” He stated, “We must pay the most attention to and manage the players who are on the borderline between starters and non-starters. Sometimes I scold them, and sometimes I comfort them.”

Woori Card will face Hyundai Capital in their next match. Coach Park conveyed, “Hyundai Capital is the team we struggled against the most last year. While recovering Araujo, we must strengthen our defense, which is one of our strengths, to create organized play.”

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original