Daegu: Kim Dae-won has described his feeling of delight upon seeing his fabulous goal put Daegu FC three up against Melbourne Victory on Wednesday as the team from Korea Republic recorded a resounding 4-0 victory to move second in Group F of the 2019 AFC Champions League.
Having lost their past two games, both against Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Daegu had fallen from first to third in the standings and were in desperate need of a win at Forest Arena to reignite their hopes of reaching the Round of 16.
With the score at 2-0 and just 10 minutes to play against already-eliminated Melbourne, Kim received the ball just outside the right side of the penalty area, maneuvered into space and fired a stunning left-footed shot into the far top corner to secure all three points with arguably one of the goals of the tournament so far.
“Of course I was very pleased to score, but the feeling is even greater because it helped my team win an important match,” said the attacking midfielder.
“We heard before the game that Melbourne were starting with some of the players from their reserve team, but we didn’t underestimate them, we kept our focus and were able to score four goals.”
Daegu defeated Melbourne 3-1 in their tournament debut back in early March before posting the same scoreline in seeing off two-time champions Guangzhou Evergrande on Matchday Two as the 2018 Korean FA Cup winners set the early pace in Group F.
GOAL! | Daegu FC (KOR) 3-0 @gomvfc (AUS)
What a screamer! Kim Dae-won makes it 3-0 with a superb strike! That should make the points safe for the hosts. #DAEvMEL #ACL2019
Follow it live https://t.co/pVxD0hsaq7 pic.twitter.com/bC9so9Hn14
— AFC Champions League (@TheAFCCL) May 8, 2019
Kim netted his first goal of the competition in the win over Guangzhou but was part of the side that last lost back-to-back games against Sanfrecce as Daegu’s momentum faded ahead of their penultimate fixture.
But Edgar Silva’s early penalty calmed the nerves against Melbourne before Jeong Tae-wook doubled the lead eight minutes after the interval.
It was Kim’s goal that stole the show, though, with his strike sparking joyous celebrations in the stands and leading to top scorer Edgar coming up with a unique celebration.
"After I scored, Edgar picked me up and cradled me like a child,” explained Kim, whose side added a fourth through Jung Seon-ho shortly after.
“This is because he thinks of me like his son within the team, like his own child. It's a nice feeling and it was a good moment.”
Daegu moved above Guangzhou with the win after the Chinese side were defeated 1-0 in Hiroshima as the Japanese team secured top spot in the group.
FULL-TIME | Daegu FC (KOR) 4-0 @gomvfc (AUS)
An impressive display from Daegu who remain in the hunt for a last 16 spot. A winner-take-all match to come vs. Guangzhou Evergrande on Matchday Six.#DAEvMEL #ACL2019 pic.twitter.com/XlSOAWCPN0
— AFC Champions League (@TheAFCCL) May 8, 2019
The maths is now simple, two points ahead of Guangzhou, Daegu must avoid defeat in Canton to seal their place in the last 16 at the first time of asking.
“It’s an away game so we’ll be thoroughly prepared for it to give us the best change to qualify,” added Kim.
“We’ll train hard ahead of the game and we know we’re competing with Guangzhou for a place in the next round.”
Source: the-afc.com