Gwangju FC veteran Lee Eum made his first comeback match after a major injury.

Unable to contain his excitement, Lee also expressed his anticipation for the upcoming K League 1 stage.

Gwangju earned a 1-0 victory over Seoul Eland in the round of 16 of the 2023 Hana OneQ FA Cup with a theater goal from Heo Yul on Thursday at Mokdong Sports Complex.

Gwangju advanced to the quarterfinals with the dramatic win and will face Jeonbuk Hyundai on June 28.

On the day, Gwangju legend and veteran Lee Eum came on as a second-half substitute and played a central role in the team’s victory. It was his first official match in seven months since his K League 2 Round 43 appearance against Gyeongnam FC on October 9 last year.

Lee suffered a broken collarbone before the start of the season and was expected to miss an extended period of time. So much so that head coach Lee Jung-hyo wore Lee’s jersey backwards instead of his suit at the season-opening media day to cheer him on.

“I think it’s been over three months in real time, but I’ve been so excited since yesterday,” Lee told ESPN after the game. 토토사이트 “It’s overwhelming, and I got goosebumps when I walked into the stadium. It definitely reminded me that a player is a player when he’s on the field,” he said.

“We hadn’t won in the league and we were able to come back and win. Of course, it’s the FA Cup, but this will help us in the league so that we can start winning more and more, and as a senior, I will lead them, push them from behind, drag them, and help them to bounce back.”

“The coach asked me to go in and control the kids,” Lee said, “and he said, ‘The game is fine, just go in and control it and work hard, and you talk to them,'” he said.

“I didn’t do anything, but I just hugged them, cheered them on, and if I thought they were going to make a mistake, I just kept picking them up. I think this win is because my friends worked hard,” he said, giving credit to his juniors.