Pohang, led by head coach Kim Ki-dong, will play Jeonbuk Hyundai in the final of the Hana OneQ Korea Football Association (FA) Cup at 2:15 p.m. on April 4 at Pohang Steel Yard. Pohang reached the final for the first time in 10 years after defeating Jeju United on penalties in the semifinals at Jeju World Cup Stadium on April 1.

Pohang hasn’t had much success in the FA Cup since losing back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. Then, after a decade, they got their chance again. In 2013, Pohang defeated Jeju in the quarterfinals and met Jeonbuk in the final, where they drew 1-1 and won 4-3 on penalties.레모나토토

Pohang will be hoping to keep the good memories alive. “We have good memories from 10 years ago, and we will continue to build on those good memories,” Kim said after confirming the FA Cup final. Striker Kim In-sung also said that the players have shared that the situation is similar to 10 years ago. “(Shin) Kwang-hoon told me that his brother is similar to 10 years ago, so I hope we can have that energy,” he emphasized.

To top it all off, Pohang is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Their determination to lift the trophy is greater than ever. In the K League, they finished second and played “catch-up” but couldn’t prevent Ulsan Hyundai from winning their second straight title. The Asian Champions League (ACL) will start its tournament next year. That leaves the FA Cup as the only trophy Pohang can lift this season.

The team is determined to win, even with a number of injuries, including Oberdan, Wandelsson, Baek Sung-dong, and Jung Jae-hee. What’s more, Pohang hasn’t lost a game against Jeonbuk this season, with three wins and a draw. The two teams also have a recent history of bad blood. When the teams met in Round 35, Pohang’s player substitutions caused confusion due to Pohang’s mistakes and poor officiating. Jeonbuk is claiming a forfeit because the confusion was caused by Pohang’s mistake. Pohang, on the other hand, argues that the referees were largely to blame. The Korean Football Association has suspended all six referees for the remainder of the season.

“Jeonbuk’s players are better than ours,” Kim acknowledged, “but we dominated, so I want the players to play with confidence. I want them to play with confidence because we overwhelmed them,” he said.

The same goes for the squad. “I don’t think it’s going to be easy,” said Kim In-sung. If we do what we’ve been doing and play with confidence, I think we can bring results. I want to win unconditionally.” Lee Ho-jae added, “The final doesn’t come to everyone. I’m going to put off the pain and suffering and put everything into one game so that I can lift the trophy,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.