Sharper than ever.
Foreign striker Ilyuchenko of professional soccer’s K League 1 FC Seoul has regained the goal-scoring touch he lost under acting head coach Kim Jin-gyu.
On Feb. 2, Ilyuchenko scored the game-winning goal in the first minute of Seoul’s 1-0 away win over Suwon Samsung in the 29th round of the Hana Wonkyu K League 2023 at Suwon World Cup Stadium.
Ilyuchenko’s performance gave Seoul its first win in seven games since a 7-2 victory over Suwon FC on July 12. They also jumped from sixth to third place (43 points) in the standings.메이저놀이터
Ilyuchenko was the star of the show. He opened the scoring in the first minute of the match with a right-footed shot after controlling a cross from Park Soo-il with his chest.
Suwon defender Kim Joo-won made a strong push, but Ilyuchenko’s concentration stood out.
Ilyuchenko, who broke into the K League with the Pohang Steelers in 2019, played for Jeonbuk Hyundai before settling in Seoul last summer.
After finishing second on the team’s scoring list with 19 goals in 2020, Ilyuchenko hasn’t been able to produce as many goals as expected since moving to Seoul.
After scoring seven goals in the second half of last season, he has scored just four goals in 17 games this season.
He struggled to compete with international striker Hwang Eui-jo, who joined the club on a six-month loan for the first half of the season, and failed to gain the trust of head coach Ahn Ik-soo. Meanwhile, his time on the bench grew longer and his goal-scoring touch gradually dulled.
It was only when acting coach Kim Jin-gyu took over the reins after parting ways with Ahn that Ilyuchenko awoke from his slumber.
Even after the departure of Hwang Eui-jo (Norwich City), Ilyuchenko, who was pushed aside by Kim Shin-jin and Bjorn Johnson, began to play up front again under Kim.
Ilyuchenko started for Seoul for the first time in seven league games since July 8 against Jeonbuk Hyundai (1-2 loss). Then, in the Supermatch against Suwon, Ilyuchenko took over the front line and gave his team the lead in the first minute of the game, which was even quicker this time. It was his second goal in as many games.
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