Ulsan is 'ACLE' now 'Kawazook's 3rd consecutive win + K-League 1 lead'! daily showdown with Kawasaki
Ulsan is 'ACLE' now 'Kawazook's 3rd consecutive win + K-League 1 lead'! daily showdown with Kawasaki
Blog Article
Ulsan HD begins its Asian stage journey.
Ulsan will play Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) in the first round of the 2024/2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE) League Stage at Munsu Football Stadium at 7 p.m. on the 18th.
The ACLE has been changed to include the top 24 teams (East Asia 12 and West Asia 12) from the 2024/2025 season. Ulsan will participate in this year's event as the K League 1 winner last season.
The East Asian regional league stage will be held for about five months, starting with the first leg on Sept. 17 and ending with the eighth leg on Feb. 19 next year. Each team will play four home and away games, for a total of eight games. After the league stage, the top eight teams in the East and West Asian leagues will advance to the round of 16.
Ulsan, which won the title in Asia in 2012 and 2020, will seek to reclaim the trophy for the first time in five years. Ulsan's first opponent is Kawasaki.
The two teams will face off each other for the fourth consecutive year. Ulsan tied Kawasaki 0-0 in the ALC round of 16 on Sept. 14, 2021, followed by a 3-2 victory in the penalty shootout, and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals. In 2022, due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was held as a neutral match in Johor, Malaysia. The team was divided into a group, with a 1-1 draw on Apr. 15, and won 3-2.
Ulsan was also in the same group with Kawasaki last year. The team lost 0-1 in an away match on Oct. 3, 2023, but managed to secure a 2-2 draw by displaying potential after allowing two runs first in the final match on Dec. 12. It has gained ground in five matches with one win and three draws (the penalty shootout for the round of 16 teams in 2021 was official draw).
Recently, Ulsan has shown good performance. Starting with a 1-0 victory in an away match with Gwangju FC on April 25, it clinched a five-to-four victory over the Pohang Steelers and the East Coast Derby on April 31. It secured a 2-0 complete victory in a match between Gangwon FC and No. 1 ranking after a break on September 13, and achieved a devastating three-game winning streak. It has become the lone league leader with 54 points.
스포츠토토 The team had good results. Kang Yoon-gu (two goals and one assist in 17 league matches) from Ulsan, the U22 player of Ulsan, scored a goal for the first time in 135 days since an away match against Daegu FC on May 1. In the 14th minute of the first half, he scored a diving header from Rubik's cross that seemed to have been measured by Rubik's hand. Ataru Esaka (four goals and two assists in 24 league matches) who was substituted at the beginning of the second half received Lee Chung-yong's pass at the 34th minute of the second half, and scored a goal by penetrating the goalkeeper's height. Ataru also scored a goal for the first time in 70 days since an away match against Suwon FC on July 5. Rubik's hand, who added one assist on the day, rose to the top of 10 attack points (six goals and four assists in 17 league matches)
In the match, Kim Young-kwon, Lee Myung-jae, Jung Woo-young, and Joo Min-kyu, who were assigned to the A national team, rested. Only goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo started, but he defended the goal stably despite fatigue. The Taegeuk Warriors recharged, and other resources were active in the match against Gangwon, setting up a good-faith competition. This is one of the reasons why we have high expectations for the Kawasaki match.
Kim Pan-gon, who is participating in the ACLE for the first time since taking the helm of Ulsan, said, "Personally, it is a great motivation. It is a very important competition. I think it will be a difficult preparation," but added, "Due to our schedule, the first match is important for us to achieve our goals in this competition. Players who will rest in the match against Gangwon Province rested, and some players prepared in advance. I have some plans. I will prepare well and show good performance."