Veteran midfielder Shin Shin-ho (Incheon), a highly touted transfer ahead of the 2023 season of professional soccer’s K League 1, has finally gotten his wings after a long wait, scoring his first offensive point of the season with a stunning goal.
Shin Shin-ho broke the 0-0 deadlock in the first 30 minutes of the K League 1 Round 15 away match against Daegu FC at DGB Daegu Bank Park in Daegu on Sunday.
Hernandez and Kim Bo-seop connected on a ball from the left side of the penalty area, and Shin Shin-ho struck it with one touch of his right foot from the left side of the penalty arc to rattle the net.
It was Shin’s first offensive point in an Incheon jersey.
Shin made the move to Incheon ahead of this season after being named a Best 11 midfielder and nominated for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last season after scoring four goals and providing 10 assists in 32 appearances in the K League 1.
As the player who played as the team’s ace and captain last year suddenly switched teams, there was a lot of talk about the transfer process. The combination with Lee Myung-joo, who had previously played together in Pohang’s midfield, was also expected.
In the midst of this, the team’s early slump at the start of the season was bound to weigh heavily on Shin’s shoulders, but the first attacking point, which came after the opening three months, lightened his mind a bit.
“I’ve been waiting for my first offensive point in Incheon,” Shin smiled after the game against Daegu.
In the match, Incheon conceded back-to-back goals to Daegu’s Edgar in the second half to deny Shin Shin-ho the lead, but a stoppage-time equalizer secured a dramatic 2-2 draw.
After five league games without a win (three draws and two defeats), Incheon rebounded with a 3-0 victory in the Korea Football Association (FA) Cup Round of 16 against K League 2 Gyeongnam FC on April 24, followed by another “multi-goal” performance in league play.
“Even though we drew, it was positive that we came back from a goal down,” Shin said, “and the substitutes showed a lot of motivation to keep going. When the tying goal went in at the end, I felt like I was going to cry.”
Incheon, which finished fourth in the K League One last year and qualified for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) for the first time in its history, was touted as a top-tier powerhouse with the signings of Shin Shin-ho, Gerso, and Mpoku, but is still in 10th place (15 points).
“I think we were lacking in our preparation for the season, and that’s why we struggled early on, and we didn’t play the way we wanted to,” Shin said. “The players all know that, and we’re preparing to do better,” he added.
“Never giving up until the end is the color of Incheon,” said Shin Shin-ho, who is determined to translate that sentiment into results.
“We need to not give up like we did today, and we need to score a few more goals. We can only move up in the rankings if we create a lot of such scenes,” he said, adding, “We will prepare a lot for that.”
“Right now, we don’t have much time because we’re still playing, but I think we can make changes in a new direction during the break next month,” he said, adding, “It’s up to the manager and coaching staff to decide.”메이저사이트
Shin Shin-ho continued, “We know that the Incheon fans support us more than any other team. I think the most important thing for the team is to get results,” he said. “It’s obviously a difficult situation, but we will do our best to improve individually and as a team, so that the fans can enjoy the game.”