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Elite Min Tae-hwan: "Memories that hurt my pride became a stepping stone for growth."
Min Tae-hwan of Elite won the second semi-final match of the 2023 eK League Championship Season 1 held at the FreecUp Studio on the 17th, against Park Chan-hwa of KT Rolster. It was widely expected that Park Chan-hwa would advance to the finals, but Min Tae-hwan was able to reach the finals after a close match with a long-range shot scored by Son Heung-min.
The following is an interview with Min Tae-hwan of Elite after the match.
Q. What are your thoughts on winning today's match and advancing to the finals?
When I advanced to the round of 16, I thought I would only reach the round of 8. But as I went up, I became greedy. I wanted to go to the finals, and I'm really happy to be able to advance like this.
Q. Won Chang-yeon hugged you after the last goal. What did your teammates tell you?
They told me not to be nervous. But I was nervous because it was the last set. Still, my teammates helped me relax, so I was able to defend well against the opponent's attacks. I think Won Chang-yeon hugged me more for the prize money than because he likes me.
Q. How did you balance offense and defense?
I learned a lot by watching the Elite team compete from behind. I was able to absorb that well and go to the finals.
Q. You had difficulties in the last tournament. What changes have occurred during that time?
I was very upset because the opponents only targeted me. So I practiced a lot, and thanks to that, I think I was able to go to the finals.
Q. How did you prepare for Park Chan-hwa's game?
He is a player with both positional play and counterattack as strengths, so I practiced a lot of defense. I like balance, so I also focused on attacking.
Q. The last goal was impressive, wasn't it?
I think it was the 89th minute when I poked a through pass, but the striker was pushed back. So I thought the attack chance was over, but the opponent made a mistake and the opportunity came. Son Heung-min scored the last goal. He's a player I really like and I think I'll like him even more in the future.
Q. How are you going to prepare for the next game?
The opponent is really good. I think I'll have to prepare really hard, and I'll prepare well for the finals and play well.
e스포츠 인벤김병호 기자
2023-06-17