After a brief hiatus, Ulsan Hyundai has won two straight games.
Ulsan won 5-1 at home against Jeju United in the 18th round of the Hana OneQ K League 1 2023 at the Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan, South Korea, on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The victory was the second straight for the club.
With the win, Ulsan extended its lead at the top of the standings to 44 points (14 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses) after two consecutive victories. Ulsan’s six-game winning streak came to a halt with a 3-3 draw against Daejeon and a 0-2 loss to Jeonbuk Hyundai in the Hyundai Gaea Derby. However, after a 3-1 win against Suwon FC, the team smiled and started to climb back up the table.
Ulsan continued its solo run with a 14-point lead over the second-place Pohang Steelers (30 points), who have played one game less. It was also their second straight win against Jeju this season.
Jeju, which has lost two straight, is winless in its last three games. They remained in fourth place with 28 points (8 wins, 4 draws, and 6 losses). After two consecutive wins, Jeju drew 2-2 with Gangwon FC and lost 1-2 to Pohang, and their momentum was halted by the heavy defeat. The loss also puts pressure on fifth-place Daegu FC (27 points), which won against Suwon FC on Sunday.
Ulsan, led by Hong Myung-bo, lined up with In-Jin-gyu up front and Bako, Ataru, and Kang Yoon-gu in the second line. Lee Kyu-sung and Park Yong-woo played in the midfield, while Lee Myung-jae, Jung Seung-hyun, Kim Ki-hee, and Seol Young-woo formed the back four. Cho Hyun-woo wore the goalkeeping gloves.
For Nam Ki-il’s Jeju, Hayes, Seo Jin-soo, and Kim Dae-hwan were in the attacking line, while Lee Ki-hyuk and Kim Bong-soo occupied the midfield. Kim Sang-wook and Ahn Hyun-beom were the wingbacks, while Jung Woon, Lim Chae-min, and Kim Oh-kyu formed the back three defense. Kim Dong-jun was in goal.
The flow of the game was tense in the beginning. Ulsan attacked with Ataru and Kang Yoon-koo, while Jeju countered with Lee Ki-hyuk, Seo Jin-soo, Hayes, and Lim Chae-min. Ulsan had their best chance in the 22nd minute when Uhm Won-sang connected with a shot from a ball released in front of the goal by Lee In-gyu, but Kim Dong-joon was able to make the save.
Eventually, Ulsan took the lead in the 31st minute through Bako. Bako broke through the Jeju defense and sent a space pass to Uhm Won-sang, who penetrated into the box. Uhm Won-sang was brought down by Kim Dong-joon on the left side of the box, earning a penalty kick. Bako stepped up to the spot kick and scored his seventh goal of the season with ease.
With momentum on their side, Ulsan unleashed a goal storm in the second half. In the seventh minute of the second half, Uhm Won-sang sent in a cross from the right side that Ataru rushed in and headed home. Ataru scored her debut goal, while Uhm Won-sang added her third assist of the season.
A minute later, in the eighth minute of the second half, Uhm Won-sang’s terrifying run was highlighted. Picking up the ball in her own half of the midfield, Uhm Won-sang was able to beat a defender into the box all by herself and finish past Kim Dong-joon. It was Uhm’s first goal since March against Gangwon.
Jeju was denied a goal by a series of saves from Cho Hyun-woo. In the third minute of the second half, Kim Joo-gong’s powerful shot from the right was caught by Cho Hyun-woo’s legs, and in the 20th minute, Kim’s volley was also caught between Cho’s crotch.
Ulsan added a wedge goal in the 25th minute of the second half from Ju In-gyu. After controlling a cross from the right by Bako, In-Ju-gyu finished with a right-footed turn before the ball dropped. It was the 10th goal of the season for the top scorer.
Jeju scored the consolation goal in the 33rd minute after a mistake by the Ulsan defense. In the box, Ulsan’s Lee Kyu-sung tried to play the ball out to the side, but it ended up at the feet of Jeju striker Yuri Jonatan, who calmly slotted it home. It was Yuri Jonatan’s sixth goal of the season.
Jeju then pushed forward in search of a second goal, only to be threatened by Ulsan’s counterattack. Ulsan brought on Lee Chung-yong, Martin Adam, and Cho Hyun-taek to secure the win. In the second half of the match, Bako scored an additional goal in stoppage time to complete the multi-goal victory 메이저놀이터.