“I deliberately didn’t even buy Japanese Asahi beer today! I’m so happy to have won a gold medal!”
As the Korean national team defeated Japan and won the gold medal in the men’s soccer finals of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, shouts of joy erupted throughout the Red Road area of Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Even as they walked down the street, citizens chanted “Great Korea” and “Oh, Victory Korea” and waved the Taegeukgi (Taegeukgi) they had brought from home. I was so absorbed in the joy of victory that I climbed up on a chair and danced, and the chair leg broke.
Hwang In-geuk, in his 40s, said, “I’m so happy that I can’t express it in words.” He added, “I wasn’t anxious at all when the first goal was scored. I believed the players would do well, and I’m really, really happy to win like this.” Hong Hyun-seung (26) also said, “The gold medal was a very natural result. We had to win the Korea-Japan match. It was such a fun time, and we all cheered together, so we were immersed and felt like we were one.”
The national soccer team led by coach Hwang Seon-hong played the final against Japan at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, around 9 p.m. on the 7th. In the Hongdae area, people wearing red T-shirts, red devil headbands, and holding red inflatable sticks appeared one after another three hours before the game started. According to the organizer, Mapo-gu Office, about 4,000 citizens gathered at the site that day.
Citizens cheered while sitting on about 660 chairs in front of the large screen. As the game start time approached, the Hongdae area was so crowded with people that it was difficult to move around. Some citizens climbed onto the railing of a nearby cafe and took a seat. Some citizens came out wearing the same clothes they wore during the 2002 World Cup. There were elementary school students who came here with their parents wearing Taegeuk pattern face paint and soccer uniforms.
Mr. Kim (20), who visited the site토토사이트 that day, said, “I came here in person to cheer on Lee Kang-in and Jung Woo-young. I was worried about safety accidents after the Itaewon disaster, so I debated whether or not to come, but I think I came well. I feel like we are becoming one because I cheered. “My blood boils more,” he said.
After the game started on this day, the atmosphere on the field quickly darkened when Japanese player Kotaro Uchino scored the first goal two minutes into the first half. Citizens expressed their disappointment by shouting “Oh, what?” and “No, no,” etc. He lowered the balloon stick he was holding high in the sky and looked vain. Every time the Japanese team gets the ball after conceding a goal, “Uh!” “Oh!” I said, my heart pounding.
The atmosphere turned around when South Korea’s Jung Woo-young scored the equalizer in the 26th minute of the first half. Citizens jumped up from their seats, clasped their shoulders with the people next to them, and jumped up and down. The cheerleader’s drumbeat began, followed by shouts of “Great Korea!”
When Jo Young-wook scored a comeback goal in the 11th minute of the second half, the citizens shouted in joy. The song “Oh Victory Korea” rang out here and there, and citizens hugged each other and said, “That’s right! You have to get your military exemption yourself.” Foreigners were surprised by the shouts and even stopped to watch the game.
The citizens did not let go of their tension even after the score was 2 to 1. When the players went on defense, they shouted, “We have to stick,” “We have to put pressure,” and “We have to go, we have to go.” As he watched Jin-seop Park play while showing his fighting spirit from injury, he said, “This is it, this is it,” and “This is Korea.” With two minutes left in the second half, “Kick fast” “Let’s go, let’s go” “We can do it” “Hold on,”
Leave a Reply