Incheon United (Korea) beat Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan) 2-1 in Group G of the 2023-24 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League (ACL) held at Incheon Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on the 28th. As a result, Incheon finished second in the group with three wins and two losses (nine points) down Yokohama (3 wins and two losses and nine points).
He made a double against Yokohama. Incheon had a 4-2 victory in the previous first match. And again this time, he won 2-1 and revealed the possibility of advancing to the round of 16. In the 11th minute of the first half, Kim Bo-seop gave up the cutback and Chun Sung-hoon's shot hit the goalkeeper's hand. After Hong Si-hoo rushed in the flowing ball, he shook the net with a powerful shot. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Kim Do-hyuk ran after blocking the ball in the midfield. It was given to Kim Bo-seop in the penalty box, followed by a grounder cross to the gate. Hernandez lightly pushed it in. He dedicated the run at the end of the second half, but the three points remained unchanged.
Manager Cho Sung-hwan said, "I couldn't be happier to give the fans a victory in the last home game of the season. Our players did their best on the pitch for satisfaction this season and expectations for next year. There was a clear goal of passing the group qualifying round, so we became one with the fans and made good results. "I will thoroughly prepare for the remaining league and Kaya away games and finish the season well so that I can enjoy expectations for next year," he said.
Young players are playing well. However, there must have been a lot of concern on the ACL stage. In response, he said, "It would be a lie if I didn't worry about them because they are new to the ACL. In the process of preparing, I think there was their motivation in terms of situation and training. Hong Si-hoo was able to go from the national team by age, but there was an injury, and Park Seung-ho was also injured. I think I can show this kind of performance because I prepared well during the rehabilitation period. The old players, who were playing in the previous game, have been leading well from the beginning to the present. I think positively that the performance of young players is more prominent than expected. I'm looking forward to next year, and as a coach, it's perfect. "I was worried at the end of the season, but I think it's relieving me," he said.
Coach Muscat Yokohama frequently mentioned goalkeeper Kim Dong-heon and pointed out him as the team's loser. In response, coach Cho Sung-hwan said, "We told you to delay the time to join the military." I heard that acting is possible, so it would be nice to add to the military service until the last Kaya match. I asked for a postponement of my enlistment," he said with a smile.