In the match between Ulsan Hyundai and Gwangju FC in the “Hana One Q K League 1 2023 29th round” held at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on the 3rd, away team Gwangju defended Lee Kun-hee’s goal in the 17th minute of the first half and Becca’s decisive goal in the 9th minute of the second half. Ulsan, the leader who recorded a defeat, showed lethargy throughout the game against third-place Gwangju, and poured 67% of the market share and 10 effective shots into Gwangju’s goal, but had to suffer a bitter defeat due to Gwangju’s defense and goalkeeper Kim Kyung-min’s defense.
Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo said in a press conference after the showdown with Gwangju, “We lost the match against Gwangju.” The most regrettable defeat today was the first run, and the process just before the run is the problem with the entire team. Responsibility and cohesion have not been shown recently. “I have good individual skills, but I’m not moving as a team,” he said, giving the team a sharp rebuke for his poor performance and disappointing results recently.
As head coach Hong said, Ulsan has recently shown its worst performance in the second half. Ulsan, which dominated the league at an overwhelming pace with two consecutive league wins and one league victory in the early and mid-season, is showing a clear decline in its momentum starting in the 20th round. 바카라사이트넷
Starting with his third loss of the season with 2-1 at home to Incheon United in the 22nd round, he began to lose momentum with a 3-1 away loss against Suwon Samsung, which was pushed to the relegation zone, and in the 26th round, he quickly accumulated five losses of the season.
Hyundai, which suffered a slump in the 27th round in the process of defeat, briefly won 1-0 thanks to Um Won-sang’s goal against rival Jeonbuk Hyundai, but lost power again with one draw and one loss in two league matches. Ulsan has recorded four wins, two draws and four losses in the recent 10 league games, showing signs of instability in managing points since the start of the second half.
Ahead of the upcoming Asian Champions League schedule, which begins in mid-September, Ulsan is on alert at a time when it has to play both the Champions League schedule in the second half and the important league schedule. Ulsan, which has a tight schedule leading to Johor (Malaysia), Kawasaki (Japan), and Patum United (Thailand), has narrowed the gap with its East Coast rival Pohang Steelers, who is second in the league and is seeking to win the league for the first time in 10 years
Until the early and mid-season, Ulsan’s second consecutive league loss was taken for granted. Hyundai rival Jeonbuk, which has been threatening Ulsan since the past, showed an early step away from the league championship competition amid a severe slump, while FC Seoul, which threatened Ulsan at the beginning of the season, gradually lost its pace as it flowed to the middle of the league.
In this situation, Ulsan quickly added points by winning consecutive games, and there was a time when Ulsan’s second consecutive league title was considered a matter of time, widening the gap of 19 points from the top of the league. However, as Ulsan’s slump deepened after the 20th round, head coach Kim Ki-dong’s Pohang Steelers began to chase quickly.
Under the leadership of head coach Kim Ki-dong, Pohang showed solid point management skills from the beginning of the season and settled down to the second place through the middle. Pohang, which recorded five wins, four draws and one loss in 10 league games at the beginning of the season, recorded only three losses until the 20th round, making sure to manage points. Pohang, which has forgotten its defeat since recording another loss in the East Coast Derby against Ulsan in the 21st round, has 14 wins, 11 draws and 4 losses, accumulating 53 points, and beating third-place Gwangju by 8 points.
Pohang, which is chasing league leader Ulsan by only eight points, is trying to win the league title for the first time in 10 years since its last league win in the 2013 season, burning its fighting spirit for the championship. Ulsan, which was chased in this situation, began to feel anxious. This is because Pohang, which has caught their ankles at every important crisis, is in a situation where they are closely chasing.
In the 2013 season, Pohang’s last league championship season, Ulsan, which was leading the league with 73 points, was able to win the league title with 71 points in the last round of the league, giving up a loss by Pohang Kim Won-il (retirement) at the end of the second half and only hoping for its rival Pohang’s fifth league title.
Six years later, Ulsan had to face the same situation again in the last round of the league, which took place on the same day as the 2013 season in the final round of the 2019 season. Ulsan lowered Jeonbuk, which had 76 points with 79 points, to the second place and led the league, and it was Pohang that hit Ulsan again when it was able to win the championship just by drawing in the last round. Ulsan recorded a 4-1 loss to Pohang in the final round, Jeonbuk tied Ulsan with a 1-0 victory over Gangwon, and Ulsan, which was one point behind in multiple points, had to shed tears of pain as it was reversed by Jeonbuk.
Since Pohang was a drag on every important crisis, Ulsan, the leader, will be somewhat uneasy and uncomfortable with Pohang’s presence, which is closely chasing in the important process of challenging its second consecutive league title. Last season, Ulsan, which won the league title for the first time in 17 years by successfully overcoming Jeonbuk Phobia, which has brought tears to Ulsan in recent seasons, is being chased by Pohang, which has caused other pain.
Which team will win the championship and laugh among Pohang, the pursuer who is aiming for the come-from-behind victory with good memories in the past, and Ulsan, which is being chased at the end of the end of the season? Let’s pay attention to the winning race of those who are heading toward the end of the season.
