Pro Football K League 1 Ulsan HD defeated Japan J League 2 (second division) Banfore Kofu and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League. [사진=한국프로축구연맹·연합뉴스]
Last year’s professional soccer K-League 1 champion Ulsan HD defeated Japan’s J-League 2 (second division) Banfore Kofu and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2023-2024 Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL), making the ‘Hyundai Family Derby’ a success. done. Ulsan will face Jeonbuk Hyundai to advance to the semifinals.
Ulsan, led by coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated Kofu 2-1 in the second leg away game of the round of 16 held at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on the 21st. Ulsan, ahead with a total score of 5-1, easily beat Kohu and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Ulsan, the 2020 ACL champion, is one step closer to regaining the top spot in Asia for the first time in four years. Ulsan reached the semifinals of the 2021 tournament, but was eliminated by the Pohang Steelers.
The quarterfinal opponent is Jeonbuk, a rival of K League 1 Hyundai, who beat Pohang Steelers 3-1 in the first and second games in the round of 16. Jeonbuk reached the semifinals in the previous tournament, but was eliminated after being blocked by the winning team, Urawa Reds (Japan). Jeonbuk will challenge for the Asian title for the third time following 2006 and 2016.
Meanwhile, Ulsan’s coach Hong Myung-bo, who won 3-0 in the first game on the 15th, dispatched national team players who played in the 2023 AFC Qatar Asian Cup schedule in the match. Ulsan, which featured national team players such as Seol Young-woo, Kim Young-kwon, and Cho Hyun-woo as starters, pushed the opposing team, Kohu, hard from the beginning, with Kim Ji-hyun opening the opposing goal just 11 minutes after the game started in the second game.
Kofu fought hard until the end of the game, with Kazushi Mitsuhara scoring a header to make up for the loss in a corner kick situation in the 43rd minute of the second half, but striker Joo Min-gyu finished the pass that Eom Won-sang, who was on a counterattack in extra time in the second half, sent from the right side to the goal line. shook the net.
However, according to AFC, in this day’s game, Ulsan was inferior in most game indicators, including the number of shots and effective shots, except ball possession. Although they were ahead in terms of ball possession (66.3% to 33.7%), they were behind in the number of shots (7 to 27). In addition, Gohu recorded 9 effective shots, 3 times more than Ulsan (3). Despite Gohu’s offensive, Cho Hyun-woo, who played well in the Asian Cup, once again blocked the goal, giving the team victory.
Meanwhile, Jeonbuk and Ulsan will clash in the quarterfinals on the 5th and 12th of next month.
Reporter Information Noh Yu-jin yesujin@ajunews.com
©’Global economic newspaper in 5 languages’ Aju Economic Daily. Reproduction and redistribution prohibited.
