'Joint goal with Hwang Hee-chan' Lee Jae-seong "As a result of many conversations... I regret the loss."

Lee Jae-seong (Mainz), who scored a chasing goal against Saudi Arabia, bowed his head for not being able to complete the national soccer team's victory that fans wanted.

Jae-Sung Lee met with reporters after losing 2-3 in a friendly match against Saudi Arabia held at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 13th (local time) and said, "I am very disappointed that we were not able to achieve the victory we were aiming for. I will prepare better for the next game."

On this day, Jae-Sung Lee, who was brought on as a substitute in the 21st minute of the second half while waiting on the bench, received a pass from Hee-chan Hwang (Schalke) in 2 minutes and scored a goal, but ultimately suffered a bitter defeat for his team.

However, Lee Jae-seong attached great significance to the fact that he scored a goal in close collaboration with Hwang Hee-chan, who was at the center of the national team's 'discord'.

Lee Jae-seong said with a smile, "I had a lot of conversations with Hwang Hee-chan during this call-up, so I was able to create a goal opportunity. I have been with Hwang Hee-chan on the national team for a long time, and I always wanted to create scenes like today in the stadium. I am so happy that we were able to collaborate on a goal like this after a long time."

Lee Jae-seong, who said he suffered greatly from the rumors of discord that arose surrounding the national team after four consecutive international matches in September and October, emphasized, “All the players had a hard time.”

Lee Jae-seong, along with 'same-age captain' Son Heung-min (LAFC), '96 line' Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang In-beom (Porto), and Kim Min-jae (Munich), were named in a joint statement to end the feud.

He emphasized, “I had a good conversation while making my statement,” and added, “I will continue to repay my fans with good performances in the future.”

When it was pointed out that the national team seemed to create more opportunities in the second half than in the first half, Lee Jae-seong said, "Because we conceded goals first, it was physically more difficult for our players. In the second half, we were in a situation where we had to turn the game around, so the players were more active. We will have to show that kind of attitude in the first half in the future as well."

Regarding the continued exposure of the problem of limited passing routes, he said, "I played 5 games with coach Robert Moreno. There are some things the coach demands, but we have some habits we had before, so it doesn't seem to fit perfectly yet. That's why training and competitions are important."

Meanwhile, Lee Jae-seong expressed the opinion that it may be fortunate for the national team that the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup has been postponed for about a year to December next year.

He said, "There are still many difficult aspects for the national team. It will be a good time for the national team as we need to take time to sort them out."