Ulsan HD, which is leading the K League 1 and is gradually approaching its third consecutive win, is struggling in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE).
Ulsan has fallen to the bottom of East Asia as it has lost two consecutive games to Japanese clubs. It has been poor, failing to score a single goal.
Ulsan, which was newly led by head coach Kim Pan-gon in July, lost to Yokohama 0-4 in the second round of the 2024-2025 ACLE League Stage at Yokohama International Stadium in Yokohama, Ulsan, Japan on the 2nd.
Starting this season, ACLE will feature 12 teams from each of East and West Asia, and will have a league stage in which each team will play eight games. Here, the East Asian countries ranking 1st to 8th and West Asian countries ranking 1st to 8th will advance to the round of 16 tournaments to compete for the berth. The winner of the East Asian semi-final and the West Asian semi-final winner will be determined through a single match in Saudi Arabia.
Ulsan, which lost 0-1 to Kawasaki Frontale in its first home match, has a chance to fail to advance to the round of 16 teams as it lost even more heavily in its second match against Yokohama. It is currently the lowest among 12 East Asian teams.
In the remaining six games, Ulsan needs a major counterattack. Ulsan will also play its third match against Vissel Kobe, a Japanese team, on Saturday. It will then play with five teams from China and Southeast Asia, including Takjim (Malaysia), Shanghai Port (China), Shanghai Shenhua (China), Buriram (Thailand), and Shandong Taishan (China), which will handle Johoru.
On the other hand, Yokohama, which was defeated 3-7 by Gwangju FC in the first game, won its first victory by using Ulsan as a sacrifice.
The match was the first return match in five months since the ACL semifinal home-and-away confrontation in April.
In order to sail ACLE, it was imperative to win or win points on the road, but the last-minute K League 1 championship competition was also inevitable.
In response, head coach Kim Pan-gon put key players such as Joo Min-kyu, Boyanich, and Kim Young-kwon on the bench in preparation for the 33rd round of the K League 1 against Kim Cheon Sang-mu, the second-ranked player in the K League 1, scheduled for the 6th. Yago, Arabidze, and Kim Min-woo were placed in the front to challenge goal hunting.
Ulsan’s plan was blocked when it lost a point in the fourth minute of the first half.
When Yokohama’s Andersson López passed toward Eubert on the left side in the midfield, Ulsan right fullback Yoon Il-rok tried to forcefully cut off the ball but couldn’t stop it and spilled the ball.
Eubert caught the ball and dug to the left of the goal area, and gave away the pass. Watanabe Gota, who was rushing, shook Ulsan’s net with a left-footed shot.
Ulsan was almost driven into a crisis where the score gap widened early as the mistake of the national goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo overlapped in the 17th minute of the first half. Cho Hyun-woo, the goalkeeper, ran out and kicked the ball from the back of the opponent’s camp, hit the body of Mateus of Yokohama and fell toward the net. Mateus grabbed it again and tried to shoot his left foot, but VAR found that Cho Hyun-woo’s ball was hit by Mateus’ hand. The referee canceled the goal, declaring a handball foul.
Ulsan, which occasionally shot mid-range shots to turn the tables, lost a point in the 44th minute of the first half by counterattacking. Mateus caught López’s cross that Yokohama put up after breaking through the left side and gave up the ball to the back. Takuma Nishimura scored an additional goal with his right footed shot from the front of the penalty area, making the score 2-0. 메이저사이트
Ulsan, which is in urgent need of scoring, tried to change its mood by putting in goaltender Joo Min-kyu at the start of the second half and putting in Lee Chung-yong instead of Kim Min-woo 10 minutes later.
Ulsan was disappointed to cross the crossbar in the 15th minute of the second half when Yoon Il-rok connected the pass given by Lee Chung-yong with a strong left-footed shot near the left side of the penalty area.