K League 1 ‘GK Daejeon’ new face appeared… Hwang In-jae, Baek Jong-beom, and Kim Jeong-hoon stood out

The 12 clubs of the K-League 1 in the new season are crying and laughing at the performance of the goalkeeper.

In particular, players who did not stand out in the past are flying wildly,스포츠토토 becoming a variable in the ranking game.

In the ‘Hanawon Q K League 1 2023’, there are more pre-season gatekeeper movements than any other year, and goalkeepers’ performances have emerged as important.

First of all, Song Beom-geun and Lee Beom-soo, who played for Jeonbuk before the season started, moved to Japanese J-League Shonan Bellmare and K-League 2 Bucheon FC, respectively. Jeonbuk brought Jeong Min-gi, who played in Anyang.

FC Seoul goalkeeper Yang Han-bin also acquired FA (free agent) qualifications and left for Japan’s J-League Cerezo Osaka, and Bucheon Choi Cheol-won filled the spot.

Pohang Kang Hyeon-moo also enlisted in Kimcheon Sangmu ahead of the season to resolve his military service. Along with them, the existing Jo Hyun-woo (Ulsan), Oh Seung-hoon (Daegu), and Yoo Sang-hoon (Gangwon) were also poised to announce their good fortune.

The best goalkeeper in K League 1 last season was Jo Hyun-woo. In the 2023 season, Jo Hyun-woo, as if continuing his performance last season, finished 2 out of 7 games without a goal and climbed to the top of the clean sheet.

With Cho Hyun-woo defending the goal tightly, Ulsan is recording the first place in the team with 6 goals in 7 games, and Hwang In-jae, the gatekeeper of Ulsan rival Pohang, has emerged anew by running in a tie for first place with Cho Hyun-woo.

Hwang In-jae, who opened a new nest in Pohang in 2020, was pushed by Kang Hyun-moo and seldom got a chance to play. Before enlisting in Gimcheon in June 2021 to resolve military service, Hwang In-jae played only three games.

Hwang In-jae, who greatly improved his skills while playing for Gimcheon, returned to Pohang ahead of the 2023 season. Coincidentally, when position competitor Kang Hyeon-moo enlisted in Gimcheon, he competed with Yoon Pyeong-guk for the starting position.

Head coach Kim Ki-dong, who leads Pohang ahead of the season, chose Hwang In-jae. Hwang In-jae became the driving force behind Pohang’s undefeated streak by performing well in every match as if to repay manager Kim’s trust.

Pohang has not tasted defeat yet, recording 4 wins and 3 draws in 7 games since the opening. Here, it is evaluated that Hwang In-jae, who tied for first place in the clean sheet and led the league with the least goals, played well behind the scenes.

A Pohang official said, “Of course, I think the goalkeeper role was important for us to remain undefeated.” It was highly praised that he was very stable in defending the back and leading the play in a defensive situation.”

He added, “(Hwang In-jae) has good feet, so he is also good at passes that occasionally lead to a single goal kick.

But the competition isn’t over yet. The Pohang side said, “We will continue to compete with Yoon Pyeong-guk, but our expectation is that no matter who comes out, we want them to continue to do well as they do now at the moment they appear in the game.”

Notable contenders along with Hwang In-jae include Baek Jong-beom (Seoul) and Kim Jeong-hun (Jeonbuk).

Seoul recruited top K-League 2 goalkeeper Choi Cheol-won from Bucheon, but contrary to many expectations, he made frequent mistakes after the season opened and handed over the goalkeeper gloves to Baek Jong-beom from the 5th round of the league.

Baek Jong-beom, a 23-year-old rookie, did not miss the given opportunity. In particular, he recorded a whopping 7 saves against Daegu in the 6th round of the league, contributed to a 3-0 scoreless victory, and vomited his spirit by being named in the best 11 of the 6th round of the K League 1.

Jeonbuk promising goalkeeper Kim Jeong-hoon, who returned from military service in Gimcheon, is also evaluated as the best filling the void left by Jeonbuk goalkeeper Song Bum-keun and Lee Beom-soo.

Initially, Jeonbuk pitched Jeong Min-ki from Anyang as the starting pitcher, but Jung Min-gi lost 0-2 to Daegu in the 4th round of the league and gave up a run due to a catching mistake, leaving Kim Jeong-hoon in charge from the 5th round.

It is also an advantage that Kim Jung-hoon falls under the 22-year-old (U-22) quota. According to the K-League rules, Jeonbuk can bring a wide range of substitutes when Kim Jeong-hoon guards the goal.

Lee Jung-min secured his place in the team by recording his first clean sheet since his debut in Jeonbuk against Incheon United in the 6th round, leading to a 2-0 victory.

Although Jeonbuk is sluggish with 2 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses, it is evaluated that Jeonbuk’s sluggishness is due to poor firepower and sluggish fighting in the midfield rather than defense, so Kim Jeong-hoon is expected to continue to be employed for the time being.