Lee Sang-heon is emerging as Gangwon FC’s new go-to guy.
Lee scored a multi-goal performance against Jeonbuk Hyundai in the sixth round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium on July 7, leading the team to a 3-2 victory. It was his second consecutive multi-goal game and third in a row. With seven goals in six games, Lee is currently leading the league in scoring.
For Gangwon, this is more than expected. Lee spent the last three seasons playing for Busan I-Park in the K League 2, the second division, so it was unclear how he would perform in the K League 1. However, he has become one of the best goal scorers in the 안전카지노사이트 K League 1.
In particular, he solved one of Gangwon’s biggest problems: a lack of goals. Last season, Kangwon’s team scored a league-low 30 goals. The team’s top two scorers, Kim Dae-won (Gimcheon Sangmu) and Park Sang-hyuk, combined for just four goals. Their inability to capitalize on their scoring chances ultimately kept them in the bottom half of the table throughout the season.
Lee Sang-heon, on the other hand, has been making the most of every opportunity. His expected value for the season is 2.24, but he has actually scored five goals, not including penalty kicks. That’s more than twice as many goals as he’s expected to score.
As a result, Gangwon has moved up to second in the league in goals scored (11), and with a solid point total, they are currently fifth in the league with nine points (W, D, L, 2). It’s a reversal of fortune from the start of last season, when the team went winless in its opening eight games (four draws and four losses).
Lee Sang-heon also made a significant individual mark. His seven goals are a career-high in K League 1. This is a huge improvement considering his K League 1 career record before joining Gangwon was seven goals in 36 games. His K League 2 career high was also seven goals and three assists in 31 games in the 2022 season. This is the best season of his career.
Notably, he only played five games in the K League 2 last season after losing out on a starting role. This season, he’s leading the scoring in the higher-level K League 1, which is quite a turnaround.
He owes much of his success to the faith of head coach Yoon Jung-hwan. When Yoon was in charge of Ulsan Hyundai in the past (2015-2016), he had his eye on Lee when he played for Hyundai Go and reached out to him before the season. Recognizing his attacking talent, Yoon assigned him the role of shadow striker and set him a target of more than 10 attacking points. Lee has repaid his mentor’s faith and has already reached 70% of his goal.
After the team’s 3-0 win over Daegu FC on March 3, coach Yoon Jung-hwan said, “Lee Sang-heon’s sense of scoring is very good. His communication with his teammates and his calmness in front of the goal are his strengths.” After the match against FC Seoul (1-1 draw) on March 31, Lee said, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a desire to be the top scorer. But I’m focused on playing the kind of soccer the team wants to play. Luckily, chances seem to fall my way,” he said.