Ulsan Hyundai’s Uhm Won-sang and Lee In-jong-kyu, two players who didn’t make the A national team, staged a proper ‘show of force’ while Jürgen Klinsmann watched.
Klinsmann was in attendance at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on Tuesday, where Ulsan defeated Jeju United 5-1, and coincidentally, Uhm Won-sang and Lee Min-kyu were among the players spearheading the victory.
The two players were not included in Klinsmann’s call-up list for the June A-match between the national teams.
In particular, In-Joo was highly anticipated to join Klinsmann’s team due to the recent poor form of Hwang Eui-jo (Seoul) and last year’s K League 1 top scorer (17 goals) Cho Kyu-sung (Jeonbuk).
However, Klinsmann reappointed Hwang Eui-jo and Cho Kyu-sung, while Lee In-gyu failed to reach the ‘first Taeguk mark’ again.
After scoring his ninth goal of the season in an away match against Suwon FC on the 6th, Inhabigyu said, “I was disappointed as much as I was excited,” but he tried to shake off the remaining disappointment by scoring a ‘wonder goal’ on this day.
In the 25th minute of the second half, after receiving Bako’s cross from the right flank with his right foot, In-Ju-gyu connected with a picturesque turning shot before the ball hit the ground and rattled the net.
It was similar to the goal Klinsmann scored as a striker for Germany against South Korea in the 1994 World Cup group stage in the United States.
Klinsmann could be seen smiling broadly after the goal, as he was impressed with the striker’s ability to make moves like he did in his playing days.
In addition, In-Joo also etched his name in the history of the K League by scoring his 10th goal against his hometown team Jeju, where he played until last season.
It was his third consecutive season of double-digit goals, following 2021 (22) and 2022 (17).
Double-digit goals are the hallmark of a “signature goal scorer” and are rare in the history of the K League.
He is only the sixth player in history to do so after Lee Dong-guk (10 seasons), Dejan (7 seasons), Woo Sung-yong, Molina, and Junio (4+ seasons). He is third among homegrown strikers.
Uhm Won-sang went one better, scoring three goals on his own to impress Klinsmann.
Uhm Won-sang was named to the Hangzhou Asian Games squad led by Hwang Sun-hong, not Klinsmann, and will travel to China for a series of friendlies during the A-match break in June.
This may have been due to the fact that he was born in 1999, making him an even more needed resource for the age-restricted Asian Games squad, but it may also have been due to his failure to impress Klinsmann as a ‘must-have’ player 스포츠토토.
In fact, other second-stringers like Lee Kang-in (Mallorca, 2001) and Hong Hyun-seok (Gent, 1999), who showed their mettle on the European stage in the 2022-2023 season, were safely on board the Klinsmann ship.
Uhm Won-sang, who had struggled for form prior to this game with just two goals and two assists in 17 appearances, gave his team the lead in the 29th minute when he was awarded a penalty kick for catching a pass headed for the keeper.
He then assisted Ataru’s picturesque diving header with a pinpoint cross seven minutes into the second half, and a minute later, he drove a wedge into the game early with a wonder goal that was almost as good as In Ju-gyu’s.
Starting her dribble from a point below the halfway line, Uhm Won-sang accelerated past Lim Chae-min, who had come out to stop her, before advancing to the doorstep.
Then, as goalkeeper Kim Dong-joon moved forward to narrow the shooting angle, she sent the ball into the opposite goal to complete her ‘one-man show’.
In a truly ‘Fast and Furious’ performance, Uhm Won-sang was involved in all three of Ulsan’s first goals, making a real impression on Klinsmann.