The slump of national striker Joo Min-kyu (34) of Ulsan HD is serious. His team has failed to score a goal for more than three months. His prowess as the “best goalscorer in the K-League,” which was the driving force behind his team’s performance, has disappeared.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) Vissel Kobe (Japan) match held at Ulsan Stadium on the 23rd was a match that confirmed that Joo Min-kyu’s form was completely inferior. After being deployed as a substitute in the second half of the day, the team missed a decisive opportunity in the 32nd minute of the second half when it was trailing 0-2.
He dribbled through the back space of defense and got a penetrating pass, before confronting the goalkeeper one-on-one. It was an opportunity he needed to throw a shot to spark a chase, break his silence. However, when confronting the goalkeeper, the goalkeeper blocked a left-footed shot that Joo Min-gyu kicked. His shooting power was so weak that it was ambiguous to describe it as “the goalkeeper’s good defense.” Joo also swallowed his regret by holding his head.
The striker will not be able to lead every opportunity to a goal, but Joo Min-kyu’s mistake was regrettable in that it was an extension of his recent slump. The regret was even greater in that he is a player who has established his position as the best striker in the K-League, with the best 11 strikers and two top scorers in the K-League for the last three consecutive seasons.
After 22 goals in the K League 1 in the 2021 season and 17 in the 2022 season when he was with Jeju United, Joo also scored 17 goals in the last season when he moved to Ulsan. He even became the top scorer in the 2021 and 2023 seasons. Thanks to his consistent performances in the K League, he lifted the cap on the national team in March. Since then, he has become a national striker who has been consistently selected for the national team.
However, he has only scored eight goals in the K-League this season, and his recent slump is particularly serious. The last game he scored in the uniform of Ulsan must be traced back more than three months. Since the game against FC Seoul on July 13, he has been silent for nearly 100 days and 13 games since the game against Hyundai in Jeonbuk on July 20. This is why his mistake against Vissel Kobe, which missed even a critical opportunity, is drawing even more bitter meaning. 토토사이트
In recent years, the Korean team is having difficulty even capturing opportunities to shoot at the frontier. After making seven shots in three official matches last month, the Korean team has made only two shots in recent four matches. Due to the trend of failing to take advantage of opportunities, the team is not even able to seize opportunities anymore, and thus its sluggish performance is prolonged.
The pressure on the resident regulation is also increasing. The problem is that it is ultimately up to the resident regulation to break the trend. For Ulsan, which is competing to win the K League 1 and advance to the round of 16 ACLE, the resident regulation itself is in desperate need of a “one shot” to change the atmosphere.