Yokohama F. Marinos (Japan) was defeated 1-2 by Incheon United (Korea) 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. Yokohama finished third in the group with three wins and two losses (nine points).
He contributed a double against Incheon. Yokohama, which suffered a 2-4 defeat in the previous first match, also knelt in this match. 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. Yokohama scored a chase goal at the end of the second half, but it was defeated in the end.
After the game, manager Kevin Muscat said, "I thought I started the game very well. However, he had difficulties as he handed over the flow after the run. In the first half, there were several scenes where the opposing goalkeeper blocked very well. Still tried to win, to score a goal in the second half. Due to the nature of the opponent, he seems to have been trying to see what to do while getting off because he had an important game this weekend. I'm proud that we continued the soccer we wanted to pursue. There are many ways to win and lose football. If I lose, I prefer to lose by showing the football I pursue. "I want to highly appreciate the players who showed the football they want to play even in the losing situation," he said.
There are currently many injured people in Incheon. As a result, seven players have changed compared to their first showdown with Yokohama. When asked what kind of impact it had, he said, "It didn't have a significant impact. I analyzed it while watching how Incheon played. I've known what kind of game Incheon will play and what kind of form it will play. "I knew that I had good results in the recent game," he replied.
On the day of the game, it was very cold in Korea. Compared to Yokohama, the temperature drops by more than 10 degrees. A Japanese journalist asked about the impact of the cold weather. In response, "If you keep considering such factors, you will find an excuse. It didn't affect our will or our performance much. We had difficulty with our grass conditions, but this is our responsibility as well. "If the opposing goalkeeper did not save several times in the first half, he would have scored two to three goals, but that is also something to accept."
Incheon was leading the way until about 30 minutes in the first half. Since then, there has been a change. Muscat said, "I knew my opponent would play in the half. I ordered to be patient when I was holding the ball. You have to catch the ball and spend your time. Rather than changing the pattern, we also went down. Looking ahead, you can create more opportunities and do it in a straight line. I don't want to say I aimed for it and missed the opportunity. The opposing goalkeeper blocked it well. "I played in the opponent's half, and I want to appreciate it because I played in the opponent's box," he said.
