“Lucky free kick goal against Cho Hyunwoo.” Incheon Mpoku’s prediction… “I was confident even before the kick.”
Incheon United Mpoku said he was confident even before he kicked a free kick.
Incheon United had a 1-1 draw with Ulsan HD in the 15th round of the “Hana Bank K League 1 2024” at Incheon Football Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Incheon finished seventh with 19 points (4 wins, 7 draws, and 4 losses).
It was a disappointing game for Incheon. It dominated the game, but lacked capacity to score goals. Incheon, which finished the first half 0-0, led the game with Mpoku’s first goal in the third minute of the second half. Since then, he sent numerous shots on goal, but all of them turned away from the goal. In the end, the game ended in a draw, conceding an equalizer to Um Won-sang in the 36th minute of the second half.
On this day, Mpoku played as a central midfielder in the 3-4-3 formation and stirred the Ulsan midfield for 90 minutes. His unique ball guard and forward pass ability stood out. Not only that, but he even scored in the third minute of the second half. Mpoku’s free kick hit the defensive wall and went straight into the goal.
After the match, Mpoku said, “I have scored more than once through free kicks in my career. This is my first goal of the season, and I’m happy to score it through free kicks. Today is my first goal, but I want to score more free kicks in the future.”
Mpoku displays confidence in kick set pieces in every competition he participates in. However, Incheon coaches often instruct other players to kick set pieces. “Other players kicked because the coaches told us to do so from the beginning of practice. I understand that cultures of Korea and other countries are different.”
“In Korea, if a kicker is set, the player must kick the kicker. Even if I want to kick the kicker, I have to get permission from the coaching staff in advance. I understand that. I respect my teammates because they are good kickers, too. In today’s case, Kim Do-hyuk and I decided to kick in advance. I had confidence right before scoring, so I didn’t want to give up to anyone.”
When asked if he should appeal to the coaches since he scored a free kick, he said, “I don’t think it’s necessary to appeal to them. I tend to follow what the coaches decide for now. Still, since I scored a goal today, I think I will be given more opportunities.”
After scoring the goal, Mpoku ran to the bench and danced together to share his joy. When asked about the meaning of the ceremony, he replied, “I danced with my team manager. It’s a secret what I mean. I won’t tell you.” 스포츠토토
Despite the score, Mpoku was not satisfied with the result of the match. “The same applies to all the players. We were 1-0 up and lost points at the last minute, so we tied in the result but we feel like we lost. I think other players are disappointed, too.”