‘K League 1 2nd Consecutive Loss' Ulsan's Potential… Amazing ‘Ability to Escape Crisis'
Roy-poly resilience' despite 'SNS racism controversy' in June
The draw chain is limited to 3 games!'
Professional soccer K-League 1 Ulsan Hyundai achieved the brilliant result of winning two consecutive K-League games for the first time since the team was founded thanks to its excellent crisis management ability.
Ulsan won 2-0 with Kim Min-hyuk's winning goal in the 35th round home game of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 Final A against Daegu FC held at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on the 29th, confirming the championship regardless of the results of the remaining three regular league games. 바카라사이트
As a result, Ulsan, which reached the top of K-League 1 for the first time in 17 years last season, achieved the milestone of two consecutive regular league wins for the first time since the team was founded and enjoyed the joy of winning a total of four times (1996, 2005, 2022, 2023).
Ulsan, which has been playing in the K-League since 1984, the year after the launch of professional soccer, is considered a traditional powerhouse.
Managers Kim Ho, Cha Bum-geun, Kim Jeong-nam, and Kim Ho-gon, who were recognized as the best generals in Korea, have taken the baton, and the best star players of the time, including Heo Jung-moo, Choi Kang-hee, Kim Hyun-seok, Kim Do-gyun, the late Yoo Sang-cheol, Park Jin-seop, Park Dong-hyuk, and Lee Cheon-soo, have played the field.
In particular, Ulsan marked the history of 'undefeated championship' twice on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL) stage, in 2012 (10 wins, 2 draws) and 2020 (9 wins, 1 draw).
Although Ulsan was pointed out as a candidate for the championship every year, it was disappointing that they were not able to have much of a connection to winning the K League.
Ulsan finished in runner-up in the K-League 10 times (1988, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2013, 2019, 2020, 2021), setting a sad record of having the most runner-up finishes in K-League history.
However, Ulsan began to change after hiring coach Hong Myung-bo as the new head coach in December 2020.
In addition to Coach Hong's recruitment, Ulsan opened up its wallet last year in terms of player composition, fostering a 'desire to win'.
Last year, Ulsan strengthened its offensive line by bringing in national team central defender Kim Young-kwon, winger Eom Won-sang, and Hungary national team player Martin Adam.
Finally, Ulsan won 2-1 against Gangwon FC in the 37th round of Final A of the regular league last season, confirming the championship with the final game remaining.
Coach Hong presented Ulsan with its first K-League 1 championship trophy in 17 years two seasons after leading the team.
Ulsan has grown stronger this year in the third season of the 'Hong Myung-bo system'.
Although there was a stir when Japanese midfielder Jun Amano, who was active last season, transferred to Jeonbuk Hyundai, Ulsan re-signed 'goal scorer' Min-gyu Jo from Jeju United and added Swedish striker Rubiksson to strengthen the offensive line.
The key word for Ulsan's victory can be summarized as ‘the ability to escape crisis.'
Ulsan has not been tied for more than three games without a win this season.
There was only one loss in a row, and there were only two draws (2 draws, 1 loss) in 3 games, so they stood up straight like a roly-poly in a crisis situation.
Ulsan, which continued its winning streak last season, went on a hot winning streak from the beginning of the season.
Ulsan seemed to stagnate for a while with 1 draw and 1 loss in the 7th and 8th rounds after the opening 6 consecutive wins, but from the 9th round, they went on a 6-game winning streak again, laying the foundation for a dominant system.
In the 15th and 16th rounds, Ulsan once again hesitated with 1 draw and 1 loss, but Ulsan once again showed off its excellent ability to escape crisis with a 5-game winning streak.
There were only two losses until the 21st round.
Ulsan, which reigned as the ‘absolute power', also faced a crisis.
In particular, last June, it was revealed that some players had exchanged racist language on social networking services (SNS), and the team atmosphere plummeted as the players were suspended and fined.
Meanwhile, defensive midfielder Park Yong-woo (Al Ain) transferred, causing Ulsan's organizational strength to falter and its performance to drop.
Ulsan allowed its first two consecutive losses of the season in the 22nd and 23rd rounds, and seemed to get back on its feet with a win (2-0 win) against Jeju in the 24th round, but was shaken by two consecutive draws (1 draw, 1 loss) in the 25th and 26th rounds.
Ulsan only had 2 draws and 1 loss in the 28th to 30th rounds, and was shaken again with 2 draws and 1 loss in the 32nd to 34th rounds.
In 13 games from the 22nd to the 34th round, they suffered from 'unlike Ulsan' results, with only 3 wins, 5 draws, and 5 losses.
But Ulsan was also lucky.
Hyundai's rival' Jeonbuk Hyundai was in a slump throughout the season, and Pohang, who had been chasing the championship all season as a 'championship competitor', only drew 5 games in a row (4 draws and 1 loss) in rounds 31 to 35, and was tied with Ulsan on points. failed to narrow the gap.
In the end, Ulsan took the opportunity to 'confirm the championship early' when Pohang lost in the game against Jeonbuk Hyundai on the 28th, and proudly achieved the feat of winning the K League 1 for the second time in a row by defeating Daegu in the 35th round.
