It’s been a long time since they’ve had a hot offense.
Incheon United reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 Hana OneQ FA Cup with a 3-0 victory over Gyeongnam FC in the fourth round (Round of 16) at the Incheon Football Stadium on April 24. The team reached the quarterfinals for the first time in seven years since 2016, but there are other rewards besides victory.
They showed off their offensive prowess. Incheon was in and out of the ‘top five’ before the season started, but they were ranked 10th in the league as they were plagued by ’empty goals’. In 14 games, they scored 12 goals. That’s less than one goal per game. The only team scoring fewer goals than Incheon is Gangwon FC (7).
With no goals, victory was not to be expected. Incheon had gone four games without scoring before their last match, a 1-1 draw against Gwangju FC. They didn’t open the scoring against Suwon Samsung (0-1 loss), Jeju United (0-2 loss), and Jeonbuk Hyundai (0-0 draw) on May 5.
Incheon head coach Cho Sung-hwan even switched to a “three in the middle” to try to gain an edge in the midfield battle. It wasn’t a bad move. The team produced more chances than before. It was a positive sign.
In the FA Cup, we got the goals we were waiting for. The main players were rested, and even though the match was against Gyeongnam of the K League 2, Mpoku, who returned from injury and took the field for the first time in a long time, opened the scoring with a goal, followed by Hong Shihu and Jung Dong-yoon.
This is the second time Incheon has scored three or more goals this season, including in the FA Cup, after a 3-3 draw against Daejeon Hana Citizen on March 4. “I think we can find a combination that can be utilized in the midfield that can solve the scoring problem,” Cho said after the victory.
After playing in the FA Cup during the week, Incheon will host Daegu FC on March 27 in the 15th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023. 토토사이트
The last meeting between the two teams ended in a goalless 0-0 draw. Daegu is a team with a distinctive pattern of playing behind the ball. They lost 0-1 in the FA Cup to Suwon Samsung, but are in good form in the league. With one goal conceded in three games and a solid defense, young players are doing their part in the attack.
Daegu is in sixth place with 20 points, while Incheon is in 10th place with 14 points. This is a crucial match for Daegu to gain a foothold in the top half of the table, and for Incheon to move up to mid-table.