Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Na Sang-ho leads Seongnam FC's rebound
Seongnam FC's forward Na Sang-ho celebrates after scoring a goal against Incheon United during the K League 1 league match in Incheon, Aug. 9. / Courtesy of K League
By Jhoo Dong-chan
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Seongnam FC was a sensation during the first month of the K League 1, which started in May. Thanks to the outstanding performance of the team's forward duo Yang Dong-hyun and Hong Si-woo, the Gyeonggi provincial football club reached third place in the 12-team league, behind defending champion Jeonbuk and Ulsan Hyundai.
Having since failed to display the depth of skills of its squad, however, the team had slid down in the table to the relegation spot by the end of July.
A number of experts said Seongnam is likely to face a relegation dog fight by the end of the season, but Na Sang-ho, who joined the team on loan from FC Tokyo in June, salvaged the team by scoring two goals in the 15th round match against Incheon United on Aug. 9.
In the 12th minute of the second half, Na scored a free kick from the half space. He then scored his second goal in the 87th minute by dribbling past the opposition side defenders on the left side and curling the ball with his right foot.
Seongnam beat Incheon 2-0 in the away game thanks to Na's unique performance. The club also managed to rebound to sixth place.
The K League picked Na as the K League 1 15th-round MVP.
Starting his professional football career with Gwangju FC in 2017, Na proved his genius by becoming the top scorer of the K League 2 the following year when he was just 22. He scored 16 goals with one assist in the 2018 season.
Na also won the gold medal with the South Korean national under-23 football team at the 2018 Asian Games. He then joined FC Tokyo of the J League in January 2019.
Na, however, failed to take his place in the starting lineup in the Japanese club for over a year, and decided to come back to the Korean football league in June 2020.