Neither Ulsan HD nor Jeonbuk Hyundai can afford to back down. It’s a guillotine match. The ultimate “Hyundai Ga Derby” will determine their fate. If they do not share feelings within 90 minutes, they may extend the game and take a penalty shootout.
The second leg of the quarterfinals of the 2023-2024 Asian Champions League (ACL) between Ulsan and Jeonbuk will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The first leg of the match at “Jeonjuseong” was equally divided. It was a 1-1 draw. Now a draw is meaningless. The winning team will advance to the semifinals, and the losing team will say goodbye to the ACL.
Ulsan ranked first in Asia in 2020 and Jeonbuk in 2016. The two teams clashed in the ALC quarterfinals in October 2021. It was a one-off match in the era of Corona. They fought hard for the extra 120 minutes. Ulsan advanced to the semifinals with a 3-2 victory over Lee Dong-kyung’s fantastic mid-range blast in the 11th minute of extra time. However, in 2022, Jeonbuk advanced to the semifinals while Ulsan was eliminated from the group stage.
I’ve been waiting for this moment. Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo and Jeonbuk coach Dan Petrescu launched “Plan B” for the ACL in the K-League 1 on Sunday. There is no other choice but to wage all-out war. The team will also be qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be expanded and reorganized with 32 teams participating. Of the four tickets allocated to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) and Urawa Reds (Japan), the winners of the 2021 and 2022 ACL, have already secured two tickets. The remaining two tickets will be determined by the ACL results of the 2023-2024 season. The team that wins this season and the team that ranks the highest in the Federation Rankings, which is based on the ACL performance for four years, will win the last ticket. Al-Hilal, who secured the ticket for the Club World Cup, is currently ranked first in the federation rankings, while Jeonbuk is ranked second (80 points) and Ulsan is ranked third (72 points). Jeonbuk will secure a ticket to participate in the World Cup if it advances to the semifinals. Ulsan needs to advance to the semifinals and needs to secure one more win to beat Jeonbuk. In the ACL, the winning team will receive three points, the team with a draw one point, and if it advances to the next round, it will receive three points.
After Hong took the helm, Ulsan has boasted a superior record in matches against Jeonbuk. Based on the K-League standards, it tied the game with one win, two draws and one loss in the 2021 season, but gained the upper hand with two wins, one draw and one loss in the 2022 season and three wins and one loss in the 2023 season. Petrescu is committed to reversing that trend this season. In the official matches of ACL and K-League 1 in 2024, Ulsan has four wins and one draw, and Jeonbuk has one win and four draws.
“We deserved to win the first match, but it is regrettable that we failed to do so. We are considering extra time and penalty shootout for the second match,” Petresque said, heralding a life-or-death decision. “Under the current circumstances, it is not easy based on probability to participate in a Club World Cup. However, it is a definite motivation. If we continue to make such efforts next year, we can further enhance the value of Ulsan HD that we have accumulated in the K-League.” 여우알바
It is widely expected that Ulsan, which has a home advantage and good momentum, will be advantageous. However, it is unknown where the “guillotine match” will stand out. The result may vary with one mistake, and Jeonbuk is also Bae Su-jin. The ground is full of tension.