K League clubs stunned in tough Champions League losses

Lion City Sailors' Diego Lopes, right, in action with Daegu FC's Jang Seong-won during an AFC Champions League game at Buriram City Stadium in Buriram, Thailand on Monday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

It was a dark day for the K League on Monday as Ulsan Hyundai, Daegu FC and the Jeonnam Dragons all lost what should have been routine wins in the group stage of the AFC Champions League.

Ulsan Hyundai, the 2020 Champions League winners, were upstaged by Malaysian club Johor Darul Ta’zim, a team that has never made it out of the group stage at the continental tournament. Ulsan's 2-1 loss was still better than Jeonnam, who lost 2-0 to Thai side BG Pathum United, and Daegu, who lost 3-0 to Singaporean debutants Lion City Sailors.

A sloppy start saw Ulsan fall behind early in their game against Johor Darul Ta’zim at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor, Malaysia, when Fernando Forestieri put the Malaysian side ahead in the third minute with a long curling shot from outside the effort.

The two sides seemed fairly evenly matched after that early action, although Johor continued to test Jo Hyeon-woo in goal.

After a few changes, Ulsan were able to equalize early in the second half. Substitutes Um Won-sang and Seol Yeong-woo connected in the box, with Seol setting up Um to knock in the tying goal in the 52nd minute.

Johor rallied after the equalizer, missing a few opportunities before Bergson slotted a left-footed effort into the right corner to give the Malaysian club the lead again in the 80th minute. UIsan had no response, and Johor walked away with three points to take first place in Group I with six points.

Ulsan, who tied their opening game 1-1 with Kawasaki Frontale, sit in third place with just one point.

Korean FA Cup winners Jeonnam created more chances at Pathum Thani Stadium in Pathum Thani, Thailand, than in their opening 1-0 win against United City last week, but the K League 2 side had no answer for the calm and collected response of BG Pathum and ended up losing 2-0.

The first half was scoreless, although Jeonnam failed to capitalize on two good chances after initially struggling to find their feet in the opening 15 minutes. Jeonnam forward Park In-hyeok was responsible for both misses, struggling to rise to the occasion as BG Pathum, who last year reached the knockout stage at their debut Champions League, increasingly went on the offensive.

BG Pathum finally struck at the start of the second half, with Pathompol Charoenrattanapirom sliding in to force the ball home from a couple of meters out in the 51st minute. The goal pushed Jeonnam on the offensive, but the Dragons were unable to get anything across despite a number of chances over the following 10 minutes.

Despite the offensive, the K League 2 side was unable to rally and a well executed set piece in the 72nd minute allowed defender Jakkapan Praisuwan to head home a corner and ensure the Thai side's victory.

With the win, BG Pathum move into second place in Group G with four points, losing first place to Melbourne City on goal difference, while Jeonnam slip to third with three points.

But while Ulsan and Jeonnam both had a bad evening, Daegu FC had a nightmare.

The 2021 K League third-place finishers' humiliation at the hands of the Lion City Sailors was made even more shocking as it came just days after the Korean club beat Chinese side Shandong Taishan 7-0. That Lion City beat Daegu without Kim Shin-wook, the Korean forward and two-time AFC Champions League winner, only added insult to injury.

Daegu attempted to take the momentum early in the game, but Lion City, managed by Kim Do-hoon, who held the helm at Ulsan Hyundai when they won the 2020 Champions League, didn't struggle to contain the attacks.

Korean-born Singaporean midfielder Song Ui-young scored the opened for Lion City in the 21st minute, with a header that bounced over keeper Choi Young-eun. Daegu immediately went on the offensive, but the Singaporean side piled back en masse to shut down any attempt at an equalizer.

Daegu continued to control most of the ball in the second half, but were unable to break through an increasingly oppressive defense. The Sailors, meanwhile, repeatedly allowed the Korean side to attempt an attack before taking possession and quickly countering.

This technique paid off in the 71st minute, when Diego Lopes raced down the pitch, linked up with Maxime Lestienne, who sent the ball back to Lopes to fire into the bottom left corner of the goal.

The final nail in Daegu's coffin came in the 80th minute, when Pedro Henrique headed home a corner to give the Singaporean side a 3-0 lead. With the loss now certain, Daegu suffered further humiliation in the 89th minute when Hong Chul was shown a red card for an aggressive tackle on Song.

Daegu now slip behind Lion City in third place in Group F. Both clubs have three points, but the Sailors take second due to their head-to-head record.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the final Korean team in the continental tournament, were set to face Yokohama F. Marinos in their second game on Tuesday evening.

The third round of games will begin for the four Korean clubs on Thursday. Ulsan will take on Guangzhou at Tan Sri Dato' Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium in Johor, Jeonnam will face Melbourne City at Pathum Thani Stadium and Daegu will play the Urawa Red Diamonds at Buriram Stadium in Buriram, Thailand.

Jeonbuk will play their third game on Friday against Vietnamese club Hoang Anh Gia Lai at Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]