Veteran Kim Tae-hwan (35), who moved from Ulsan Hyundai to Jeonbuk Hyundai, the “rival team,” declined to comment on the transfer.
Jeonbuk tied the Pohang Steelers 1-1 in the second round of 16 in the AFC Asian Champions League at Pohang Steelyard on the 20th. Jeonbuk recorded a combined score of 3-1 including 2-0 victory in the first leg of the round of 16 of the tournament on the 14th, continuing its challenge to win the championship by reaching the quarterfinals.
Kim Tae-hwan, who started as a starting pitcher, helped his team win the match and showed off his presence as a defender of the national team. He actively played on the right side despite the rainy weather and scored accurate crosses. With seasoned experience, he also managed to block Pohang’s aggressive attacks.
Thanks to this, Jeonbuk showed concentration even after giving up the first goal to Park Chan-yong (Pohang) in the 12th minute of the first half, advancing to the round of 16 thanks to Jung Tae-wook’s equalizer in the 31st minute of the second half. 꽁머니사이트
After the match, Kim Tae-hwan told reporters, “I came to Jeonbuk and played my second game, and I’m satisfied because I’m getting stronger. I need to make up for it and get to know more, but I’m satisfied with how it became stronger.” “The team managed me well,” he said after the first game due to injury.
Kim Tae-hwan has taken on a new challenge this season. After nine seasons with Ulsan, he joined the Jeonbuk FC through a free agent transfer. However, Ulsan and Jeonbuk FC are the biggest rivals in the league. Ulsan fans also had a lot of regrets over Kim’s transfer. As a player representing Ulsan, the shock was all the more significant.
“I hope the day comes when we can talk about the transfer properly. It’s hard to talk about it while it’s not organized,” Kim said. “I want to talk about the transfer, and I think the day should come when we talk about it. However, it’s right to organize our positions and stand in front of reporters.”
Kim may have to deal with Ulsan, his former team, three times from next month. The match against Ulsan in the K-League is scheduled on March 30, and the team can meet in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League ahead of that. Jeonbuk made it to the quarterfinals first. The next team will meet the winner of Ulsan and Banpo Re Gofu (Japan), who won the first round of 16 complete games 3-0. If the team does not have a crushing defeat in the second round match on March 21, it will advance to the quarterfinals.
Kim also played an active part in the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup. However, the national team is currently in a noisy situation due to a number of negative issues, including the dismissal of manager Jurgen Klinsmann and physical clash between Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain). Kim also cautiously responded to the situation with the national team, saying, “The day will come when we talk about it later.”