"Karim's Kicks Were Excellent"…Gangwon Coach Jung Kyung-ho Credits Players After Win Against Anyang

Gangwon FC Head Coach Jung Kyung-ho credited "communication" as the driving force behind his team's first victory against FC Anyang in their K League 1 match, despite facing difficult squad circumstances.

In the Hana Bank K League 1 2026 Round 27 away match held at Anyang Stadium today (the 6th), Gangwon decisively defeated Anyang 3-0 with consecutive goals from Karim, Kim Keonhee, and Mo Jaehyun.

This marks Gangwon's first win in a league matchup against Anyang in six games following two draws and three losses since Anyang was promoted to K League 1 last year.

Expanding the scope to include K League 2, this is their first victory against Anyang in a staggering 10 years, since a 3-0 home win on September 28, 2016. Coach Jung had many concerns even before today's match.

With a thin player roster and key players leaving in droves due to injuries, disciplinary suspensions, and call-ups to the Asian Games national team, it was difficult even to put together a starting eleven.

Karim, who scored the opening and winning goal on this day, was making his K League debut against Anyang.

Although his primary position is a lateral defender, Karim played the full match as a central defender.

The substitute bench had to be filled with players who had not even made their K League debuts yet, such as Go Eunsek, Kang Seongyun, and Jung Seungbin.

Before the match, Coach Jung even smiled bitterly, saying, "It has been a while since our last away game, and when I stepped into the hotel, I saw a lot of unfamiliar faces."

Despite this, Gangwon routed Anyang.

In the post-match press conference, Coach Jung confessed, "Football is really difficult," adding, "With many injured players, it was hard to even form a center-back combination, and I had deep concerns about how to prepare."

He continued, "We actively reflected the players' thoughts when drawing up the game plan," and credited the players, saying, "I told them, 'Let's approach this with every player thinking they are the coach,' and today, it truly felt like everyone was the coach of Gangwon FC."

He also explained why more communication with the players was necessary.

Gangwon has previously played high-energy football featuring high-intensity pressing.

However, in preparation for this Anyang match, they chose pragmatism by lowering their defensive line to a back-three to fit the team's circumstances.

Coach Jung said, "Our player pool is limited, and continuing our pressing style increased physical burdens and led to many injuries. With three players called up to the Asian Games national team as well, squad composition became even harder. I honestly told the players, 'We want to play this kind of football this time,' and asked for their understanding."

He praised them further, stating, "We needed a strategic approach for the victory, and the players followed through wonderfully."

Coach Jung seemed especially pleased because the victory came against Anyang.

"Since I had never beaten Anyang since taking the helm at Gangwon, I really wanted to win today," he said. "During meetings, I emphasized to the players that we must defeat Anyang."

Although today's win pushed them up one spot to fourth in the league standings, Coach Jung is already worrying about the midweek match against Jeonbuk Hyundai.

"I need to deeply consider how we should fight against Jeonbuk," Coach Jung said.

He clearly stated Gangwon's objectives.

"Our goal is not the AFC Champions League, but advancing to Final A (the top six)," Coach Jung stated bluntly, pointing out, "How we overcome September's schedule is the key."

Regarding Karim, who scored his debut goal in his long-awaited K League debut opportunity, he praised him highly, saying, "Karim's kicks during training yesterday were so good. It was a truly astonishing goal, and it changed the mood of the match."

Welcoming the revival of Kim Keonhee, who scored his first goal of the season, he said, "He did so well last year, but after suffering an injury during winter training this season, his physical condition hadn't recovered. Today, I tried to let Kim Keonhee do what he does best."

(Photo courtesy of Korea Professional Football League, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.