Daegu FC leaned on their Brazilian attacking duo of Cesinha and Edgar to survive a tough playoff match against a second-division foe and secure a spot in the top league for next year.

And Daegu's head coach Park Chang-hyun believes overreliance on the tandem is not a sustainable formula for success.

Daegu defeated Chungnam Asan FC 6-5 in the aggregate score in their two-legged K League promotion-relegation playoff. After dropping the opening leg 4-3 last Thursday, Daegu prevailed 3-1 in the return leg at home Sunday.

Cesinha scored three times in those two matches, while Edgar scored a goal and assisted on Cesinha's first-half marker in Sunday's win.

Cesinha, 35, has been with Daegu since 2016, while Edgar, who will turn 38 next month, has been with them since 2018. Park said he'd like to see other players step up next season and beyond.

"These guys are not getting any younger, and they are taking longer to recover (from injuries and fatigue)," Park said after Sunday's win at DGB Daegu Bank Park in Daegu, some 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul. "They played really well today, but if we rely on them too much, it won't help our club improve. We have to be better organized as a team so that we can play a unique brand of football."

Cesinha, the club's all-time leader with 102 goals and 66 assists, will need a new deal to stay put in Daegu next year. As much as Park would like to see other players take charge, he still wants Cesinha around.

"He's the face of this team and an indispensable player for us," Park said. "He has done so much for the team, and obviously, we'd love to keep him around."

Cesinha himself was more noncommittal, saying he would need to talk to the club about a new contract.

"I can't say how things will play out," the forward added.

Cesinha, who revealed that he was dealing with the effects of a broken rib in Sunday's match, denied that he was the one that saved the team and insisted everyone on the team played a part.

"Many people might think I saved Daegu, but I don't agree with that. Everyone did their job really well," he said. "The entire team prepared for this as one, and it led to the good result."

As for the club's reliance on his excellence, Cesinha said: "It's been that way for a few years now. I am getting old. I don't know how the contract talks will go, but if we can stay levelheaded and come up with clear plans for 2025, we won't be as bad as we were this year." (Yonhap)