His first impression after returning to the team in 28 years was important. It was the result rather than the content. Kim Pan-gon, who took the helm of Ulsan HD, presented his first win at his official K-League debut match.
Ulsan had a 1-0 victory over Daegu FC in the 26th round of the Hana Bank K League 1 2024 held at Munsu Football Stadium on Sunday. Ulsan had been mired in a slump after Hong Myung-bo left the team for the A-team. It was mired in its second consecutive defeat this season. The key to its unexpected turnaround was Kim. During the two-week “summer vacation,” Ulsan reorganized its ranks by appointing Kim. Kim made his professional debut with Ulsan in 1992 when he was an active player, and spent five seasons until 1996.
“I left Ulsan 28 years ago in the winter with a lot of heart and regrets. It is a great personal honor to be here as Ulsan coach 28 years later. I am happy but I also sat here with a considerable sense of responsibility,” he said at the inaugural press conference. The atmosphere has changed. Passion was overflowing in the locker room, on the bench and in the ground.
However, in the content of the game, he could not be full of the first drink. Joo Min-kyu, who started, and Yago, who was substituted, failed to shake the net even with a decisive goal opportunity. Only one goal was scored, which was an own goal by Daegu defender Ko Myung-seok. Rather, Kim Young-kwon and Rubik’s return from injury was a great “return effect.” As always, Cho Hyun-woo’s brilliant defense shone on this day as well. Nevertheless, the results only tell everything.
Fans also cheered for the stable team. Coach Kim also greeted the fans for the first time. Holding the microphone, Kim sang “Cheoyong Warrior, Cheoyong Warrior” twice and was thrilled to debut as a K-League coach. When fans said “Yes,” he said, “I wanted to be cheered for you. Thank you so much. I won with a little effort, but I will try to make every game a festival with you guys by scoring more and performing better next time.”
With 45 points, Ulsan jumped one notch from the fourth to the third. “We approached it differently in the way we won. When I reviewed the results after discussing with the analysis team after the first half, I concluded that the training that I had for a few days turned out well. I should have gone 2-0 but it wasn’t finished yet,” Kim said. “But I can control, control and completely control myself. I hope I can taste it. There will be no victory without fail. You can lose points through counterattacks, free kicks, set pieces and penalty kicks. We need to increase the probability of winning.”
“I scored around 70 out of 100. It must have been physically challenging than usual. Thank you to the players. They did a great job. I tried my best to ask for what they asked for. It would have been better if we wrapped up the game well, but it’s meaningful because it’s our first win since we made a comeback.”
The renewed K-League 1 was full of buzz. Coach Hong Myung-bo visited the stadium for the first time as the head coach of the A-team, not Ulsan. After returning to the A-team after 10 years, he visited Gimcheon Sports Complex on Wednesday where a match between Gimcheon Sangmu and Gangwon FC was held. It was his first move with symbolism. Yang Min-hyuk, a “high school winger” born in 2006, was there. Yang Min-hyuk’s transfer to Tottenham was confirmed on April 28. 토토사이트
Yang made a proper impression on Hong. Although he was replaced at half-time due to facial injury, he assisted Lee Sang-hun’s equalizer in the extra time of the first half when his team was losing 0-1, and posted offensive points for three consecutive games. Yang has had three goals and three assists in the recent three games. After Lee Sang-hun scored multiple goals in the second half, Gangwon came from behind to win 2-1. As Pohang lost to FC Seoul 1-2 on Sunday, Gangwon maintained its No. 1 ranking (47 points).
Jeonbuk Hyundai, which expected a turnaround due to storm recruitment of Lee Seung-woo and Andrigo, fell back to the “last place” in a month after July 9. Jeonbuk lost 0-1 to Gwangju FC on Sunday, only to have 23 points. The Daejeon Hana Citizen, which was the lowest ranking, advanced to the 10th place (24 points) by beating Suwon FC 2-1 on Sunday. Jeonbuk has fallen to the bottom.
Lee also failed to grow taller. He made his first start at his new home, Jeonju Castle, but was replaced by Thiago at half-time.