Professional soccer’s K League 1 champions Ulsan Hyundai suffered a disappointing defeat in Malaysia.
Ulsan lost 1-2 away to Johor Darul Taqim in the fourth match of Group I of the 2023-2024 ACL at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor, Malaysia on July 7 (KST).
The result leaves Ulsan with a record of 2-2-2 (6 points). They remained in second place in the group, but were chased by Johor. The red light was on for the round of 16. ‘Malaysia’s strongest team’ Johor also went 2-2-2 (6 points), but finished third in the group behind Ulsan on goal difference.
In the ACL group stage, the best three teams from the top of each group and the second best team from each group advance to the round of 16.
Ulsan sent out ‘A’ team members Jung Seung-hyun, Kim Young-kwon, and Cho Hyun-woo, but were unable to overcome a tricky Malaysian opponent.
Ulsan came close twice in the first half alone. Both attacks hit the post. In the 10th minute, Johor’s Fernando Forestieri’s mid-range shot hit the post. In the 40th minute, Berson’s shot also hit the crossbar.
But Ulsan would eventually concede. In the 44th minute, Johor’s Heberch unleashed a fantastic left-footed shot that rattled the net. Ulsan goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo was unable to stop it. Heberczyk’s shot was so fast and strong that it had the perfect trajectory to find the back of the net.
After starting the second half with a 0-1 score, Ulsan had another close call. This time, it was thanks to the goalposts. In the third minute of the second half, Heberch’s shot hit the post. 아톰카지노
Ulsan also tried to fight back to equalize. In the 15th minute of the second half, Kim Ji-hyun was replaced by Lee In-gyu to bolster the offense, and it paid off early.
In the 23rd minute of the second half, Ulsan scored the equalizer. It was a good play in the opponent’s half. Bako sent in a fantastic pass from the left flank. Ataru, who was in the penalty box, caught the ball and calmly rattled the net.
However, Ulsan’s concentration lapsed in the final minutes. In the 42nd minute, they allowed their opponents to counterattack, and Johor’s Akyar Rashid took advantage of the opportunity to rattle the net. Pushed to the brink, Ulsan made a last-ditch effort to find an equalizer, but there was too little time for it to come to fruition, and the team suffered a disappointing defeat in Malaysia.
