Hwang Seon-hong’s fullback Hwang Jae-won (Daegu), who is about to play in the quarterfinals against China, the host country of the Hangzhou Asian Games, showed a resolute attitude toward the expected territoriality, saying, “I already experienced it all in June.”
On the afternoon of the 29th, Hwang Jae-won met with reporters at the auxiliary stadium of the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, where Hwang Sun-hong’s national soccer team was training, and said, “Everyone is aware that China, the opponent in the quarterfinals, is also the home team and is not an easy team.”
He said, “Rather than preparing anything special, I think we can beat China with our capabilities if we just do what we have always done,” and added, “We always talk to the team members about doing what we can without thinking about what China will do.” added.
China, who will face off at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium on the 1st of next month at 9 PM Korean time, is notorious for its rough play.
Moreover, since this tournament is being held, there is a high possibility that players will play more boldly.
Hwang Jae-won said, “We talk among ourselves about how rough 캡틴토토(China) is. That’s something we already experienced in June,” and added, “Soccer is inherently a rough sport. We don’t dwell on it too much.”
Hwang Seon-hong played two friendly matches with China last June to get used to Hangzhou.
Due to her opponent’s rough tackling and physical struggle, Eom Won-sang (Ulsan), Jo Young-wook (Gimcheon), and Ko Young-jun (Pohang) suffered injuries.
Hwang Jae-won, who has not forgotten this experience, is preparing for cases where a war of nerves breaks out among the players.
Hwang Jae-won laughed, saying, “When something like that happens, Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk) is very dependable. I will be at the very back (of the line) and one step in front.”
This remark was taken in mind when Seol Young-woo (Ulsan) joked in the joint coverage area after the round of 16 match against Kyrgyzstan on the 27th that if a fight broke out with Chinese players, Park Jin-seop would take the lead and he would fall last.
There are more favorable conditions for the host country, China.
October 1st is China’s biggest holiday, National Day. Hwang Seon-hongho also has to face ‘hostile cheering’ from Chinese fans who shout ‘Cheer up!’ (加油, cheer up).
Hwang Jae-won said, “I experienced that in June. It wasn’t as much as this tournament, but I still experienced a lot of cheering such as ‘Jayeowoo’ back then. It was annoying,” and emphasized, “There will be a lot more spectators, so it’s something we have to overcome.”