Ulsan HD and Pohang Steelers are facing the final round. The meeting of the “East Coast Rivals” will take place in Seoul this time.
Ulsan and Pohang will play the 2024 Hana Bank Korea Cup final at 3 p.m. on the 30th at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Ulsan, the winner of this season’s K League 1 and the defending champion of the Korea Cup, will have a showdown for the trophy. It is also a showdown between the East Coast Derby rivals.
In fact, the two teams are in a bad situation. Pohang was ranked No. 1 in the league in the early days of the season, but lost six consecutive games in August due to players’ injuries. It also fell to sixth place.
Ulsan has won three consecutive K League 1 championships, but it is humiliating to stay at the bottom of the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) with “five consecutive losses.”
However, the situation is different if the team wins the Korea Cup. If Pohang wins, it will not only become the Korea Cup champion for two consecutive seasons but also acquire the largest number of wins by winning six championships.
If Ulsan wins, it will achieve a “League+Cup” double. Unfortunately, not everyone can achieve the feat of lifting two trophies in a season, and fans can understand it.
Meanwhile, Pohang has happy and strong memories of the East Coast derby at the end of the season. At the East Coast derby held as the final match of the 2013 season, Pohang had to win the title, and Ulsan had to draw the title. Pohang won the match, achieving a dramatic come-from-behind victory in the K League 1.
In addition, in the final match of the 2019 K League 1, Pohang defeated Ulsan 4-1 and Jeonbuk took over Gangwon, and Ulsan, which had remained at the top of the league throughout, lost its come-from-behind victory to Jeonbuk in the final round. At the end of the 2019 season, with Hyundai tied with 79 points, Jeonbuk (72 goals) won a dramatic victory as it led Ulsan (71 goals) by one goal in multiple points. Starting with this season, Ulsan lost its final come-from-behind victory to Jeonbuk for the third consecutive year and remained in the second place. 온라인카지노
However, unlike in the past, the two teams’ opponents this season have a 3-1 advantage over Ulsan.
The East Coast Derby, one of the representative derbies of Korean pro soccer, is drawing attention even from FIFA. What would the two teams draw when they are determined to win the match? If they win, they will shake off their sluggish performance and enjoy a day of championship, but if they lose, they will be mocked by their supporters.