After the match ended, neither Ulsan Hyundai coach Hong Myung-bo nor Suwon FC coach Kim Do-gyun showed bright expressions.
Ulsan won 3-2 over Suwon FC in the 31st round of Hana One Q K League 1 2023 at Suwon Stadium on the 24th.
It was a game that both teams were desperate for. League leader Ulsan has not been in a good mood recently. Before today’s game, they had not won three consecutive league games, and had only won once in six games played since August. Meanwhile, cracks began to appear in the overwhelmingly independent system. The point gap with second place, which was over double digits, had already narrowed to six points.
Suwon FC had to escape the threat of relegation. There is hope that they will not continue their recent losing streak and that they will be able to get out of the promotion playoffs by securing three points after the loss. The point gap with 9th place Jeju United, who lost the previous day, was 6 points, so if they beat Ulsan, they could have gone up to 3 points.
The coaches of both teams made several moves to win the game. Coach Hong appointed Martin Adam as the starter for two consecutive games in place of the striker, who was in the rotation every game. It was to continue the momentum of scoring a hat trick against BG Pathum United in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) midweek.
Coach Kim paid attention to side defense. Shinsegae, who has been mainly used as a centerback recently, was placed at right fullback, who has been suffering from Lee Yong’s injury. And veteran defender Choi Bo-kyung was used as center back. It has been about four months since Choi Bo-kyung started in the league.
The game seemed to be going as intended with Ulsan being far ahead of their opponents. Ulsan scored the first goal in the 24th minute of the first half. Martin Adam, who was making consecutive starts for the first time in a long time, cut the ball inside the opponent’s penalty box and Lee Dong-kyung finished the game. In the 35th minute of the first half, Martin Adam sent off opposing center back Hugo Gomes, and in the 9th minute of the second half, Ataru kicked Myungjae Lee’s cross into the goal, widening the lead.
Suwon FC’s counterattack began midway through the second half. Coach Kim’s replacement card was effective. Oh In-pyo, who replaced U22 striker Kang Min-seong in the first half, teamed up with Lee Seung-woo in the 22nd minute of the second half to score the chasing goal. And Bautersson, also a substitute, brought the game back to square one through a solo play in the 32nd minute of the second half.
But Ulsan did not collapse. They succeeded in scoring a goal that put Suwon FC’s momentum to rest. Lee Kyu-seong’s forward pass passed through Rubikson and was connected to Joo Min-gyu, who rushed to the front of the goal. Joo Min-gyu pushed it into the goal. After that, Joo Min-gyu’s score became the winning goal as no additional points were scored.
It was a very disappointing game for Suwon FC. After Hugo Gomez’s sending off in the first half, Shinsegae was moved back to center back, and the game did not go as originally planned, and in the end, the defense, which had been focused on, showed loopholes and allowed 3 goals.
Coach Kim also addressed his disappointment with the defense in the post-game press conference. “We were playing the game as intended, but we conceded the first goal due to a missed pass from our area. After that, the game became difficult. We tied the game in a situation where one player was lacking, but we conceded another goal. This is the reality of our defense,” he said.
There was a lot of worry about preparing for the next game. Suwon FC will face FC Seoul in the 32nd round. Seoul is a team that gave up 7 goals to Suwon FC in the last match. Coach Kim expressed his concern, saying, “Not only Hugo Gomes, who was sent off, but also Dong-ho Jeong will not be able to play in the next game due to accumulated warnings. The players may be psychologically weakened because they conceded a lot of goals in the last game.”
It was a game where even the winning team, Ulsan, could not help but laugh. Although they scored 3 points, they were unable to finish the game cleanly as they were allowed to catch up in the second half. He has conceded 7 goals in the last 4 league games.
Coach Hong said, “This is my first time experiencing this situation since I came to Ulsan. I feel like I’m sinking in overall. It’s not clear whether it’s a physical problem, a mental problem, or a strategic or tactical problem. Overall, it’s not very good.” He expressed his embarrassment.토토사이트
Ulsan also faces a difficult game in the next round. The ‘East Coast Derby’ will be played against the second-place Pohang Steelers, who are closely chasing Ulsan. Coach Hong delivered a message to set the mood before an important game. “I told the players that it would not be easy for any team to win like this,” he said. “We will look for players who can devote themselves the most to the team on the pitch.”