It’s been a long time since Incheon United showed off their offensive prowess.
Incheon United reached the quarter-finals 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 24 April. The team reached the quarter-final stage for the first time in seven years since 2016, but there were other rewards besides the victory.
The team showed off its offensive prowess. Incheon were in and out of the ‘top five’ before the start of the season, but they came up empty and finished 10th in the league. 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).먹튀검증
With no goals, victory was not to be expected. Incheon had gone four games without scoring before their last league game against Gwangju FC (1-1 draw). They didn’t open the scoring against Suwon Samsung (0-1 loss) on the 5th, and then Jeju United (0-2 loss) and Jeonbuk Hyundai (0-0 draw).
Incheon coach Cho Sung-hwan even switched to a ‘three in the middle’ to try and gain an edge in the midfield battle. It wasn’t a bad move. It produced more chances than before. It was a positive sign.
In the FA Cup, we had the goals we had been waiting for. We rested the main players, and although it was a match against Gyeongnam of the K League 2, who had the superiority in terms of strength, 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.
It was only the second time Incheon had scored three or more goals this season, including in the FA Cup, after drawing 3-3 with Daejeon Hana Citizen on 4 March. “I think we can find a combination in the midfield that can solve our scoring problem,” Cho said after the victory.
After playing the FA Cup in midweek, Incheon will host Daegu FC on 27 April in the 15th round of the Hana One Q K League 2023.
The last meeting between the two sides 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 against Suwon Samsung, but are in good form in the league. With one goal conceded in three games and a solid defence, young players are doing their part in attack.
Daegu is sixth with 20 points, while Incheon is 10th with 14 points. This is a crucial game for Daegu to gain a foothold in the top half of the table, and for Incheon to move up to mid-table.