After reaching the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, Kim Jun-hong made his league debut for Gimcheon Sangmu. After a year and two months in the K League, he hopes to improve on his current form.
Kim Jun-hong was in goal for Gimcheon in their Hana OneQ K League 2 2023 Round 22 home match against Chungnam Asan FC on May 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Gimcheon Sports Complex. It was his first appearance in a K League match in 430 days since he played for Jeonbuk Hyundai last season against Gangwon FC on May 15.
At the U-20 World Cup, which concluded last month, Kim Jun-hong protected Kim Eun-joong-ho’s back line as they reached the quarterfinals. He was in the starting lineup for every game except for the third group game against Gambia, when he was suspended for accumulating cautions, and anchored the defense with saves in every game.
After the tournament, he returned to Jeong Jeong-yong’s Gimcheon with his teammate Lee Young-joon in the spotlight. However, with Gimcheon’s stellar goalkeeping corps of Shin Song-hoon, Kang Hyun-moo, and Moon Moon-geon, Kim did not get much playing time. His only appearance this season was in the second round of the FA Cup against Daejeon Korail in March.
Jung Jung-yong, who has said that he intends to give his U-20 World Cup stars a chance in the future, called up Kim Jun-hong for this game after Lee Young-joon in the last match. Speaking ahead of the match against Chungnam Asan, Chung said, “It’s right to give them a chance. He hasn’t been playing at the right time, but I think he’ll do well today,” he said, expressing his expectations for Kim Jun-hong.
The youngster lived up to the coach’s expectations and played a steady role at the back. According to Bipro Eleven, the official supplementary data provider of the K League, Kim made three catches, five successful goal kicks (100% success rate), one aerial ball (100% success rate), two clearances, and four ball wins. Despite conceding multiple goals, Kim was not responsible for either of them.
Speaking to the press after the game, Kim said, “We conceded in the last minute, so we were on the edge of our seats until the end of the game. I’m really happy that we were able to get the win after a tough game,” he said of his league debut for Gimcheon. 메이저사이트
“I want to give myself 50 points because I conceded two goals today, and I want to make the other 50 points into something I can improve on,” he said of his first league game with Gimcheon.
After the U-20 World Cup, fan and media interest in Kim exploded. From promising goalkeeper to star, the level of attention has never been higher. As the tournament came to an end and young players had to compete in their respective positions, Kim received some valuable advice from Chung, who had experienced the U-20 World Cup before him.
“Coach Jung also went to the U-20 World Cup four years ago,” he said, adding, “He gave me some advice and said that it’s more important to do well after you go than it is to do well before you go, so I decided to do better in Gimcheon.” He vowed to improve.