Who would have thought to see this reversal in South Korea?
FC Seoul won 3-2 against Daegu FC in the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2025 Round 6' held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 29th. With 11 points, Seoul (3 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss) jumped to 2nd place. Daegu (2 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses, 7 points) is in 6th place. Seoul took the lead with a penalty goal from Jesse Lingard, but fell behind 1-2 after consecutive goals from Yoshino and a politician.
In the 45th minute of the second half, a volley goal from Jeong Seung-won equalized the score. The game ended with a 3-2 comeback victory for Seoul, thanks to Moon Seon-min, who scored the winning goal after receiving a pass from Jeong Seung-won during additional time. Moon Seon-min celebrated the victory with a control tower ceremony. It was Seoul's greatest victory, but a nightmarish match for Daegu. Jeong Seung-won recorded 1 goal and 1 assist.
As dramatic as Seoul's comeback victory, the attention also focused on Jeong Seung-won's celebration after his equalizing goal. After scoring, Jeong Seung-won ran toward the Daegu supporters' section, which was on the opposite side. In that moment, there was a tension as he was not heading towards the area where Seoul fans were gathered, but towards the Daegu supporters.
Noticing this, Choi Jun gestured to his teammates to intervene, but the intervention was unsuccessful. Jeong Seung-won, who ran excitedly towards the opposing Daegu fans, performed a provocative celebration by placing his hands to his ears. This celebration was a nod to the jeers from the Daegu fans and expressed some underlying emotions.
As the Daegu fans, who had briefly fallen into silence, began to jeer, excitement spread among the players, leading to a clash between both teams. A bench-clearing incident like those seen in baseball occurred. Seoul players, including Kim Jin-soo, also tried to stop Jeong Seung-won. In soccer, there is an unwritten rule that players generally do not celebrate goals scored against their former teams.
Of course, it is just an unwritten rule and not strictly forbidden. However, running towards the opposing away fans carries a significant meaning. A representative example is Emmanuel Adebayor's celebration after moving from Arsenal to Manchester City, where he ran towards Arsenal fans.
Adebayor's celebration stemmed from the conflicts he had with Arsenal fans during his transfer to Manchester City. Jeong Seung-won's celebration also arose from such emotions. He made his debut with Daegu in 2016, but after a brilliant performance in 2020, he encountered issues the following year, resulting in not being able to play due to contract disputes.
Additionally, during the COVID-19 period in 2021, there were reports that Jeong Seung-won violated health guidelines by attending the club. However, this information was revealed to be false and aimed to slander Jeong Seung-won. During this process, both sides reportedly experienced significant conflicts.
In 2022, during his transfer process to Suwon Samsung, Jeong Seung-won announced his transfer on his YouTube channel. He also faced a strong backlash from Daegu fans for using a derogatory term for Daegu on his Instagram. Initially, Daegu fans who applauded him quickly began to turn cold towards him.
Ultimately, the accumulated emotions during this process led to Jeong Seung-won's reversal. When asked about the celebratory gesture after the match during a broadcast interview, he noted, "I missed too many scoring chances against Daegu. So I did it," adding, "I wanted to show Daegu fans how much I have grown."
In many ways, this reversal statement will go down as one of the greatest in K League history. After the match, the comments from both team coaches were contrasting. Kim Gi-dong of Seoul embraced Jeong Seung-won, while Park Chang-hyun of Daegu expressed displeasure. The reactions from fans of both teams have been intense. It remains to be seen how Jeong Seung-won's reversal celebration, which has positioned him as Korea's Adebayor, will unfold in the future.
[OSEN]