In second EPL game, Ji fails to impress

Korean striker Ji Dong-won made his second appearance in the English Premier League on Saturday, but couldn’t stop his club Sunderland AFC’s 1-0 loss against Newcastle United.

Ji, 20, was introduced to the home crowds at the Stadium of Light when he substituted left back Kieran Richardson in the 72nd minute. He made his EPL debut a week ago against Liverpool also as a second-half substitute.

However, just like his debut game, Ji couldn’t generate much in some 20 minutes of play. In his first league match, Ji failed to take a single shot, and the drought continued against Newcastle.

Perhaps the best chance for Ji came just one minute after he entered the pitch. In the 73rd, Ji penetrated the penalty box and beat the defenders, but his teammate Stephane Sessegnon ruined the opportunity by not passing the ball to the striker. The Benin player’s shot was caught by Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul, and Ji was seen complaining to Sessegnon for not giving him the ball.

Ji’s second chance to help Sunderland came in 82nd, when he made header to bridge Asamoah Gyan’s shot, but unfortunately the Ghanaian striker couldn’t capitalize.

After the match, English media SkySports gave a player rating of “4” to Ji, saying the Korean “hardly got a touch.”

Football experts said despite the inaccuracy of passes from Sunderland players, Ji should have come down to the midfield line and help the team’s attack. However, in this game, Ji was seen many times limiting his plays near the penalty box.

With Ji stuck in the frontline and other attackers such as Connor Wickham failing to threaten the opponent’s defense, Sunderland lost its 145th Wear-Tyne derby to Newcastle, which clinched a 1-0 victory on the road with a wonderful free kick from fullback Ryan Taylor.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Europe, Hamburg SV striker Son Heung-min failed to impress against Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga. The 19-year-old striker started and played until the 87th, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Hamburg was thrashed 5-0 by the host Munich.

AJ Auxerre striker Jung Jo-gook missed the weekend’s meeting after playing in the season opener against Montpellier.

By Joo Kyung-don [kjoo@joongang.co.kr]

한글 관련 기사 [뉴시스]

[EPL]英 언론 혹평 "지동원, 공 잡기도 힘들었다"

잉글랜드 프리미어리그(EPL) 진출 이후 2경기째 소화한 지동원(20)이 강한 인상을 심어주는데 실패했다. 현지 언론으로부터 혹평을 받아야 했다.

지동원은 20일(한국시간) 영국 스타디움 오브 라이트에서 열린 2011~2012시즌 EPL 2라운드 뉴캐슬 유나이티드와의 원정 경기에 후반 27분 교체 투입됐다.

0-1로 뒤진 상황에서 키에런 리차드슨을 대신해 그라운드를 밟은 지동원은 최전방 아사모아 기안과 호흡을 맞추며 뉴캐슬 골문을 노렸다. 그러나 두터운 수비진에 막혀 이렇다 할 모습을 보여주지 못한 채 경기를 마쳤다. 팀도 홈에서 0-1로 졌다.

데뷔전에 이어 여전히 헤매는 인상을 줬다. 영국 스포츠전문채널 스카이스포츠는 지동원에게 평점 4점을 주며 "공을 잡기도 힘들었다"고 평가했다. 양팀 통틀어 가장 낮은 평점이다.

동료들의 적극적인 패스도 거의 찾아볼 수 없었지만 공격수로서 움직임에 아쉬움이 남는 건 어쩔 수 없는 대목.

골닷컴은 지동원에게 평점 6점을 줬지만 역시 공격 기회를 거의 잡지 못했다고 인색한 평가를 내렸다. 지동원은 13일 리버풀과의 1라운드 데뷔전에서도 “적응 중”이라는 평가와 함께 최저 평점 5점을 받았었다.

한편, 선더랜드는 1무1패를 기록 중이다.