It is hopeless, but it is not time to give up yet. Ulsan HD, which is suffering from disgrace on the Asian stage, can also revive its hope of advancing to the round of 16 teams depending on the results of the three matches between Korea and China.
Ulsan, led by head coach Kim Pan-gon, was completely defeated 0-3 by Johor Darlle Takjim of Malaysia in the fourth round of the 2024-2025 Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) League Stage at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor, Malaysia on the 5th.
Ulsan, which has announced the beginning of a new dynasty with its three consecutive K-League 1 losses, is struggling in ACLE. Ulsan (four losses), which collapsed weakly to Kawasaki Frontale (0-1 loss), Yokohama Marinos (0-4 loss) and Vissel Kobe (0-2 loss) at the beginning of the tournament, fell to 12th, the lowest in the East Asian group, as it ruined the Johor away match, which desperately needed a rebound.
Among the 12 East Asian group teams, Ulsan is the only team that scored no points, let alone one. Australia’s Central Coast Mariners, which had been sluggish for three consecutive losses like Ulsan, secured one point by tying Shanghai Shenhua 2-2.
Ulsan’s poor performance was attributable to its inability to stage all-out efforts, as it focused on early confirmation of its K League 1 championship title. Notably, players in their 30s who form the defense line made unexpected mistakes, which resulted in loss. “We had a match against Johor five days after the match against Gangwon FC (which confirmed the championship title). The flight lasted for six hours and we were on the bus for one-and-a-half hours. Everyone thinks it’s the same condition, but we didn’t have a good performance,” Ulsan coach Kim Pan-gon said.
Fortunately, Ulsan still has a chance to advance to the round of 16 tournaments. It is only four points apart from Ulsan, which is the last place, and Yokohama Marinos, which is the eighth place, which is the last place to advance to the round of 16, so it is possible to reverse the rankings of the remaining four games. ACLE, which was launched for the first time in the 2024-2025 season, will participate in 24 teams in East and West Asia, with eight teams each advancing to the round of 16 to compete for $12 million (about 16.7 billion won) in prize money. 먹튀검증
Most of Ulsan’s remaining opponents are from China, which has shown strong performance (10 wins, two draws and three losses) in the ACL, the predecessor of ACLE. Ulsan will invite Shanghai Haigang (9th, 4 points) to its home turf on Monday, and conclude its schedule this year with an away match with Shanghai Shenhua (4th, 7 points) on December 4. In February next year, away matches between Buriram United (5th, 7th, 4th) and Shandong Taishan (7th, 4th) are expected.
“ACLE needs to overcome variables such as schedule and injury,” Kim said. “I will focus more on the next game than on disappointment. Now I can concentrate on the next game. I will try my best to advance to the tournament in the remaining games.”