It's already twisted from the beginning. There was only a glimmer of hope. There was no miracle.
'K League Champions' Ulsan HD failed to advance to the round of 16 in the Asian Champions League Elite (ACLE) in the 2024-2025 season. Ulsan was eliminated early after losing 1-2 to Buriram United in Game 7 of the ACLE League Stage at Chang Arena in Buriram, Thailand on the 12th.
The top 24 teams in Asia (East Asia 12 and West Asia 12) will participate in ACLE. Each team will play four home and away games, a total of eight games. Eight of the 12 East Asian teams will advance to the round of 16.
It was a difficult journey. Ulsan secured its first win after losing five in the sixth round in December last year. However, his advance to the round of 16 on his own has already gone up in smoke. A draw at Buriram confirmed elimination. After winning the remaining two games, including the match against Buriram, we had to watch the situation of other teams.
However, after losing to Buriram, 'the number of cases' disappeared. Ulsan, with only three points (1 win and 6 losses), remained in 11th place. The elimination was confirmed as the score gap widened to six points with the eighth-ranked Pohang Steelers (9 points), the last line to advance to the round of 16.
The Buriram expedition was dominated by foreign players such as Rubikshon, Yago, Rakaba and Boyanich. Except for gatekeeper Cho Hyun-woo, Kim Young-kwon, Kang Sang-woo, Um Won-sang, Lee Hee-kyun, Heo Yul, Yoon Jong-kyu, and Lee Jin-hyun remained in Korea to prepare for the opening game of the K-League.
It wasn't easy to get off to a good start. Ulsan gave up the first goal to Guillermi Visoli in the 20th minute of the first half in the opponent's counterattack that continued in the defense mistake. Fortunately, just before the end of the first half, he succeeded in bringing the game to square one. Jang Si-young, who received Bojanic's through pass in the 46th minute of the first half, scored with his right foot.
However, a large musical instrument came out. South Korea 'Number 1' goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo collapsed in the 25th minute of the second half. Buriram striker Martin Boakier tried to forcefully connect the ball flowing to the left side of the goal area with a shot, but narrowed the angle and hit Cho Hyun-woo in the face with his knee.
The game was suspended for nearly five minutes. Cho Hyun-woo, who complained of pain, was eventually replaced by backup Moon Jung-in. Buriram scored the winning goal in the 48th minute of extra time in the second half. Supanat Muehanta, who dug into the left side of the goal area with a sharp cross from the right, shook the net with a sliding left foot shot.
Ulsan coach Kim Pan-gon said after the game, `We have one last game left, but the end of the ACLE competition has been decided. First of all, I want to say sorry to the fans. We need to prepare for the next ACLE stage with a stronger team and a good performance"I won't be disappointed with the bad result. I will prepare for the next ACLE match. A lot of new, young players played today. It must have been a good experience. I'll prepare for the next one" he said.
Ulsan will play the first round of 'Hana Bank K League 1 2025' with FC Anyang on the 16th, followed by the final match of the ACLE League Stage with Shandong Taishan (China) on the 19th. Both games will be played on the home turf.
On Cho Hyun-woo's injury condition, director Kim said, `Cho Hyun-woo has to take a CT scan. I'm worried if there's something wrong with my nose bone. I'm disappointed with the tackle the player is not protected. Cho's departure greatly affects the team. I brought Cho Hyun-woo here and tried to continue my hope until the end, but I hope he recovers quickly and joins the team because of an unexpected accident"It was a pity. Cho Hyun-woo had a CT scan and is reportedly waiting for the results.
Asked about the aftermath of his elimination from ACLE, head coach Kim said, `It could be quite psychologically contracted. I couldn't strategically put everything into this game while preparing for four games in 10 days. I hope you won't be disappointed"The K League and the next ACLE tournament are also left. I'm sorry to the fans, but we need to bring better results, but we would appreciate it if you could understand the situation we are in. If better power is reinforced, I hope it will be better in the next ACLE competition. I'll do my best to show good performance from the beginning," he stressed.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
