Daejeon Hana Citizen returns to the FA Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 11 years.
Daejeon Hana Citizen will play Jeju United in the round of 16 of the 2023 Hana OneQ FA Cup at Jeju World Cup Stadium at 7 p.m. on April 24.
Daejeon’s first opponent in the FA Cup since the third round this season was Geoje Citizens Football Club (K4 League). Due to the tight league schedule, Daejeon used some rotation and started Yoo Kang-hyun, Kim Young-wook, Lim Eun-soo, and Kim Hyun-woo, who were mostly substitutes at the beginning of the season, as well as Lee Sun-yu, Lee Dong-won, Bae Seo-joon, and Kim Ji-hoon, who were playing for the Daejeon B team. Only Joo Se-jong, who was making his comeback from injury, and Anton, who was unable to play in the league due to a suspension, were left out of the starting lineup.
Daejeon’s rotation resulted in both a win and the restoration of their main players’ fitness. Daejeon took the lead in the seventh minute of the first half when Lee Dong-won, a rookie who joined the team this season, scored the first goal. Geoje pulled a goal back, but Lee Sun-yu, Byun Jun-soo, and Yoo Kang-hyun scored consecutive goals in the second half to secure a 4-1 victory and advance to the round of 16.
Their next opponent is Jeju. Jeju defeated Changwon City Hall 2-1 in the last round. Daejeon has already faced Jeju once in the K League 1. They hosted Jeju on March 30 and lost 0-3. Daejeon will be looking to redeem themselves this time around. A victory over Jeju would turn the tables. Daejeon recently suffered their first back-to-back losses of the season, losing to Pohang Steelers and Daegu FC in the league. With five wins and a draw in their last six matches, a win over Jeju in the FA Cup would give them a boost of momentum ahead of their match against first-place Ulsan Hyundai on Saturday.
Daejeon will be looking to reach the FA Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 11 years. The last time they reached the quarterfinals was in 2012. In their first season in the FA Cup after promotion to the K League One, they are aiming higher. To do so, they will need to rely on the performance of their B team players. Daejeon has been running a B team since last season to develop and discover players and keep them in the game. Bae Joon-ho and Jeon Byung-kwan, who have been energizing Daejeon in the early stages of this season, as well as Lim Duk-geun, the vice-captain of the first team, have grown through their experiences in the B team and are now playing in the main squad. Lee Sun-yu, Lee Dong-won, and Bae Seo-joon are also gaining experience this year.메이저놀이터
The FA Cup gives Daejeon’s future players a chance to prove themselves against K League 1 side Jeju. At the center of it all is Lee Dong-won. Lee joined Daejeon ahead of this season. Capable of playing as a flanker or attacking midfielder, Lee was the top scorer in the Korean University Football Association in both his freshman and sophomore seasons last year and finished second in the U-League’s third division in goals scored. He also has a high work rate and a powerful shot. Lee Dong-won is currently getting most of his chances with Daejeon’s B team, but he started the FA Cup third round against Geoje last season. He opened the scoring in the seventh minute, calmly slotting home a cross from Kim Ji-hoon. He went on to play the full game and put in a lively performance to help Daejeon win 4-1. He has recently been playing regularly in the K4 League with the B team and has been improving his game, so we are looking forward to his performance in the FA Cup.
“We hope that the FA Cup will give us a chance to turn things around, and we will do our best to carry this into the league,” said Lee Min-sung, the head coach of Jeju.