Of course, Ulsan’s performance was not good because it missed three games with the J-League teams, which are considered the highest level. However, it was embarrassing for the K-League to lose two home games and lose 0-4 against the Yokohama Marinos, which was held on the road as a champion of the K-League.
Ulsan has won the K-League title for the second consecutive year, and is nearing the championship this season with only four games to go as No. 1, which is four points ahead of second-ranked Gangwon FC through the 34th round. Nevertheless, the fact that Ulsan has no goals in all three matches on the Asian stage clearly shows the seriousness of the problem.
Ulsan HD, the most likely winner of the championship in the K-League, is at the bottom of the list with seven goals scored in three matches.
On the other hand, Gwangju FC ranked seventh in the K-League, but in Asia, it is ranked first in all three games with 11 points in three games.
K-League teams in the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) are clearly in contrast.
The third round of 2024-2025 ACLE was held on Tuesday and Sunday. Gwangju, which played first on Tuesday, had to play at Mir Stadium in Yongin due to poor grass conditions at its stadium, which the AFC forced the team to play at Mir Stadium in Yongin, rather than an unwanted home game.
The opponent was Johor of Malaysia, who always bothered the Korean team. However, Lee Jung-hyo’s Gwangju team won the game with consecutive goals by foreign player Asani in the third and sixth minutes of the first half despite a rainy game, and lost points in the 28th minute of the first half, but won 3-1 with additional goals in the 43rd minute of the second half. 메이저놀이터
Thanks to the victory, Gwangju has secured three wins, 11 points and four goals in three matches in the ACLE alone, ranking first among the 12 ACLE teams in the East Asian region. It is the only team that has won all three games.
Gwangju ranked seventh through the 34th round as it fell to Final B, which is competing for relegation this season due to poor support and environment in the K-League. However, it has completely different performance by ranking No. 1 in the Asian league.
On the other hand, Ulsan, which is most likely to win the K-League title, is losing face on the Asian stage. It lost 0-2 to Vissel Kobe, the winner of the 2023 J-League, at home on Sunday.
The loss put Ulsan at the bottom of the 12 teams with three losses and seven scoreless runs in three games.