Ulsan Hyundai, the professional football K League 1 ‘defending champion’, won a head-to-head match against 2nd place FC Seoul and established a solo system.
Jeju, which fell to the bottom at the beginning of the season, succeeded in winning five in a row and raised the ranking to third place. Jeonbuk Hyundai and Incheon United, who have been sluggish this season, drew without scoring in their head-to-head match.
Ulsan won 3-2 with Martin Adam’s opening goal and Bakko’s multi-goal in the 16th round of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 held at Ulsan Munsu Soccer Stadium on the 14th.
Ulsan, which recorded 5 consecutive victories, became 11 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss (34 points), widening the gap with second place Seoul (7 wins, 2 draws, 4 losses, 23 points, 27 goals) to 11 points, solidifying its solo system.
In addition, Ulsan has been undefeated (13 wins, 4 draws) in the last 17 consecutive games against Seoul.
In a match with 6 points between the 1st and 2nd placed teams competing for the championship, both teams took the main players of the offense out of the starting lineup with the number of wins in the second half.
Ulsan replaced Joo Min-gyu (6 goals), the team’s top scorer, Um Won-sang and Rubikson, side strikers, and Lee Cheong-yong, who coordinates the game. Seoul also excluded Na Sang-ho (8 goals), Hwang Eui-jo, and Ki Sung-yong, the league’s top scorer, from the selection.
Both teams fought fiercely in the midfield despite missing some of their key players, but Ulsan took the lead. He scored the opening goal without missing a momentary gap in Seoul’s defense.
In the 14th minute of the first half, Ulsan left-sided defender Lee Myung-je advanced quickly and sent a low and quick cross in front of the goal, which Martin Adam rushed in and lightly pushed it with his left foot.
Afterwards, Seoul hit the Ulsan goal with Palosevic’s direct free kick and Lee Tae-seok’s half-volley mid-range shot, but they were blocked by Cho Hyun-woo’s successive saves, leaving regret.
With the start of the second half, Seoul made a major change by replacing four players at once: Na Sang-ho, Hwang Eui-jo, Ki Sung-yong, and Park Soo-il.
Seoul’s replacement was effective in one minute. Blocking the ball in the Ulsan camp, Seoul quickly turned to the attack, and Willian hit a powerful shot. Cho Hyun-woo blocked it, but Kim Shin-jin shot again and shook the Ulsan net.
However, Seoul’s joy did not last long. Ulsan scored another goal two minutes after conceding. Baco trapped a pass connected by Lee Gyu-seong from the right flank and scored with a half-volley shot.
Seoul faced the bad news of the resignation of coach Ahn Ik-soo along with conceding a goal. Coach Ahn Ik-soo was sent off due to accumulated warnings for strongly dissatisfied with the referee’s decision right before the point was conceded.
Despite the unexpected departure of the head coach, as Seoul increased its offensive, Ulsan put in Lee Chung-yong and Joo Min-gyu in the 14th minute of the second half to change the attack.
Ulsan, who brought the flow back with the input of Lee Cheong-yong and Joo Min-gyu, succeeded in scoring an additional goal in the 23rd minute of the second half and ran away with a two-goal lead. When the Seoul defender failed to properly clear a cross from Seol Young-woo from the right flank, Bakko rushed in and shook the net again with a half-volley shot.
Seoul launched a counterattack in the 28th minute of the second half, excluding Kim Shin-jin and inserting Ilyuchenko. However, in the 43rd minute of the second half, Hwang Eui-jo’s shot hit the post, and Seoul did not follow the goal luck.
However, Seoul did not give up. In the second half of extra time, Park Soo-il pursued with a one-goal lead with a low, fast, and mid-range shot from a long distance.
Afterwards, Seoul increased their offense and tried to tie the score, but Ulsan showed concentration in the defense centered on Cho Hyun-woo and Kim Young-kwon and kept the victory by one goal.
Jeju defeated Suwon FC 5-0 at Suwon Sports Complex.
Jeju, which recently recorded 5 consecutive victories, recorded 7 wins, 2 draws and 4 losses (23 points and 20 goals), finishing third behind Seoul with many points. It is an amazing rise of Jeju, which fell to the bottom at the beginning of the season.
On the other hand, Suwon FC suffered two losses in a row, and with 4 wins, 3 draws and 6 losses (15 points, 15 goals), they were in 7th place ahead of Jeonbuk (15 points, 14 goals).
Jeju took the lead in the 42nd minute when Seo Jin-soo succeeded in a penalty kick obtained by Lim Chae-min. Seo Jin-soo scored multiple goals in the 23rd minute of the second half with the help of Hays from a corner kick.
Jeju, which raised its momentum, scored consecutive goals from Ahn Tae-Hyeon in the 32nd minute and Kim Ju-Gong in the 38th minute of the second half, virtually putting a wedge in the victory.
Even with a 4-goal lead, Jeju increased their offensive, and in the 45th minute of the second half Yuri Jonatan turned Seo Jin-soo’s pass into a goal, putting an end to the complete victory by 5 goals 메이저놀이터.
The match between Incheon and Jeonbuk held at the Incheon Soccer Stadium ended in a 0-0 draw.
The two teams, who finished in 4th place last season and qualified for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League this season, shared one point each on this day, with Incheon (13 points) in 10th place and Jeonbuk in 8th place.