Red Card Controversy
Part 7 | Yanbian FC | 延边足球俱乐部 | 연변축구 | FM23 Hardcore Mode
Chinese FA Cup First Round
We almost blew it.
Cangzhou might not be the best team in the Chinese Super League, but it certainly looked like they were as good as us in this match.
Mr. Kwon came on after about 30 minutes were gone by due to a minor injury to one of our other defensive midfielders. He was first on the scoresheet with a penalty in the 37th minute.
And that was it for us. Cangzhou came back with a goal in the 85th minute, one that we really shouldn’t have let in.
Off we went to extra time.
Kim Kuk-Jin, our younger North Korean striker, gave us new hope with a goal in the 101st minute.
But then disaster struck. Mr. Kwon fouled a Cangzhou player in the penalty area. He received a straight red card for his efforts, which I thought was absolutely ridiculous. The penalty was good, the score was tied, and we wound up going to penalties.
We won in the end, 5-4. Hou Yu made a big save for us, and we salvaged the match. It was worrisome, though.
Our statisticians will tell you that we were the better team on paper. We dominated possession, we had more shots, we had a higher xG, and so on.
I don’t think I fully believe it, to be honest. We may have dominated the match in statistical terms, but we weren’t really all that close to scoring most of those opportunities. We’ve had a lot of wasted shots from outside the box — lots of low percentage play without the good teamwork that we need to move forward.
I’m starting to believe that our success has been due to how poor the league is at the level we’re playing at. We might not be the best team in the country after all.
However, in the end our massive home crowd went home happy. Another crowd of over 24,000, which bodes well for the future of the club. It could be worse.
Red Card Fallout
I didn’t need to see the replay.
I knew right when it happened that I would appeal the red card. There was no question in my mind that no red card should have been given.
It’s not just because I like Kwon Hyeok-Kyu. It’s because the play looked clean to me. I don’t need to see it from another angle, I don’t want to hear the referee’s explanation, and I certainly don’t want to hear what the media has to say about it. I know what I saw, and I’m going to do the right thing based on what I saw.
The appeal fell flat, of course. We’ll be without Mr. Kwon for at least one game due to the suspension.
There are some suspicious rumors going around Yanji that referee Hei Xiaohu might have been paid off. I don’t fully believe it, since we won the match in the end. Still, that was an extremely questionable call to make with less than 10 minutes to go in extra time.
Of course, we wouldn’t even be thinking about it if our boys had played together like a team. That’s the real headache.
Shaanxi
Three days after that nerve wracking match, we’re back at it — this time hosting Shaanxi Guoli.
We’re favorites to win again. Shaanxi are playing particularly poorly so far this season. We should be able to pile on the pressure — I hope.