"I said if I get hurt this time, I'll just retire."
Jeonbuk beat Gwangju 2-1 in the seventh round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Jeonju World Cup Stadium at 2 p.m. on the 13th.
It was the long-awaited first win of this season. Jeonbuk beat Pohang in the round of 16 teams at the AFC Champions League (ACL) in February, but had only three draws and three losses in the K-League. However, Coach Petrescu also gave up the baton after the match against Jeju Island.
Jeonbuk, which had been reeling, secured its first win in seven games by catching Gwangju at its home ground. It jumped to ninth place with six points, and successfully eliminated the team. At the same time, it continued its upbeat record by winning 10 consecutive games against Gwangju's Jeonju City.
Ahn Hyun-bum, who returned after a long absence, also contributed. He had been out of the match due to calf injury after the first leg of the quarterfinals at the AFC Champions League against Ulsan on Saturday. In this match, Ahn was substituted in the 20th minute of the second half and played for about 30 minutes until the extra time.
After the match, Ahn asked back, "How long did I rest?" and said, "I think I took about five weeks off. I couldn't come back because my calf was torn about 4 centimeters for about a month. Even though my team was resting because there was no win, I still felt a sense of nervousness," he said. "Dan Petrescu kept on asking when I would come back, but that didn't work out. My calf didn't recover well. It came back in a hurry and then it came back again. In fact, I exercised again about two weeks ago, and it was torn again."
"That's why it took so long," Ahn said. In fact, we prepared for today's game just for three days. Today marks the third day of training with the team. So Coach Park Won-jae was also very worried. He said he would not let me run because he was afraid of getting hurt again, and he was very considerate of me. So I eased the pressure by saying, "If I get hurt this time, I will just retire."
It was a surprising comeback for Ahn as well. "Honestly, I thought it wouldn't work. Actually, it doesn't make sense to play after taking a month off and playing in three days. When (Moon) was preparing to replace him, he also played as a joker a lot, but he said the mind, not the body, is important. I told him not to worry about his physical difficulties," he said. "When I ran again, he jumped. I think those tips worked well. Anyway, I joined the team and won the game, so I feel great. The result was an important period no matter what."
On the day, Ahn played in left wingers and left wingers, not in his position. "I just played defense. I had one chance, but it was my first time as a left winger. I just played hard," he said. "I don't know exactly what my position is. When I train, I watch about four positions. I saw a left winger for the first time again today. That's just how I am."
The six-game winless streak was also a tough one for Ahn, who was watching from outside the stadium. "I had my calf muscle torn about 4 centimeters. I was working out the previous day ahead of the away match at Suwon FC and suddenly I felt something strange about it. So I couldn't go to the away match at Suwon FC and took a rest thereafter. I returned briefly and tore it again, so I just kept working out at the gym. I tore it again while training for Team B," he said.
"Psychologically, I had a hard time. Honestly, I didn't think my team would be able to win even one game. Even if I am out, there are not many players. That's why I wanted to treat them quickly without worrying about them," Ahn said. "After playing one and two games, I felt uncomfortable when I was just lying down. I felt uncomfortable. That's why I worked harder for rehabilitation. I think I played for at least 30 minutes today thanks to that." 안전놀이터
Fortunately, Jeonbuk garnered its first win upon Ahn's return. "In fact, it seems consequential. Regardless of whether I was there or not, I felt sorry that I kept losing after I left the team. I felt sorry for my team members and fans."
Now, the next match will be an away match for FC Seoul. "Seoul also has a good squad and it is not an easy team. Still, the atmosphere of our team has changed a lot due to this one match. The captain (Kim) Jin-soo will also make a comeback. I will try to win, thinking that our team will become stronger," Ahn said, vowing to win.
