In this match, Cong Phuong was on Incheon's registration list but did not have the opportunity to play even for just 1 minute. However, the striker born in 1995 showed professionalism when he and his teammates were still warming up thoroughly and encouraging the players' spirit on the field.
Incheon United entered the match with a fairly quick start. The home field advantage helped Cong Phuong's team press the field from the top to Jeju United's goal with fast attacks from both wings.
However, when he was in good spirits, Incheon was splashed with a bucket of cold water. In the 35th minute, Jeju midfielder Lee Chang-min fired a powerful shot from more than 30m away into the home team's net, opening the score. 1-0 was also the result after the first 45 minutes.
In the second half, with a relaxed mentality, Jeju was the one who took the initiative on the field. There were 5 consecutive shots created by the away team's strikers towards the Incheon United goal in just 10 minutes. Fortunately for Cong Phuong's team, when the defense was still standing firm.
Although they did not play outstandingly, Incheon United unexpectedly scored an equalizer. In a chaotic situation in front of Jeju United's goal, the opposing defender let the ball touch his hand in the penalty area. After consulting VAR for quite a while, the referee awarded the Incheon team a penalty.
On the 11m mark, striker Stefan Mugosa did not make any mistakes to successfully carry out the match, bringing the match back to balance. In the remaining minutes, both sides had a chance to decide the match but could not take advantage. The 1-1 score was kept unchanged until the end of the match.
1 point can be considered temporarily acceptable on the day of debut of Incheon United. As for Cong Phuong personally, he will continue to have to wait for more time to have his new team's debut match. This opportunity will likely come a week later, when Incheon continues to play at home to welcome Gyeongnam in round 2 of the K-League.
