Ulsan Hyundai reign victorious in K League 1 for first time in 17 years

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Ulsan Hyundai reign victorious in K League 1 for first time in 17 years

Published: 16 Oct. 2022, 18:30

Ulsan Hyundai manager Hong Myung-bo, center, celebrates with the players after beating Gangwon FC 2-1 on Sunday at Chuncheon Songam Leports Town in Gangwon to secure their K League 1 title. [YONHAP]

Ulsan Hyundai won the K League title for the first time in 17 years on Sunday, coming back from behind to beat Gangwon FC 2-1 with one match left to play.

The win gives Ulsan an insurmountable lead over second-placed Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors with just one match remaining.

With Ulsan trying to secure their season win on Sunday and Gangwon desperately trying to stop that from happening at home, both teams struggled to take the lead in the first half.

Gangwon has been unable to win a single match against Ulsan for more than a decade, their last time being a 2-1 win in July of 2012.

In the 21st minute, Lee Jeong-hyeop of Gangwon found the back of the Ulsan net and would have opened the scoring — but the goal was ruled offside.

Trying to find a way around the opponents in the 22nd minute, Ulsan manager Hong Myung-bo made the decision to take out Kim Min-joon and substitute him with Um Won-sang, but both clubs stayed tied at 0-0.

Then, 16 minutes in to the second half, Jung Seung-yong of Gangwon tripped over Valeri "Vako" Qazaishvili in the penalty area, and Gangwon was awarded with a penalty after a video review.

It was Gangwon’s Kim Dae-won who took to the penalty and beat Ulsan goal keeper Jo Hyeon-woo to score in the 65th minute, putting Ulsan fans on the edge of their seats. Ulsan last Tuesday had missed out on their chance to secure the K League title early after local rivals Pohang Steelers came from behind to hold the top club to a 1-1 draw.

Nine minutes later, it was Um to the rescue, scoring the equalizer and proving that first-half substitution to have been the right decision. Martin Adam headed a cross from Lee Myung-jae, and Um sent it home with his right foot.

In the 85th minute, a set piece from Ulsan concreted their K league title. Kim Kee-hee connected Lee Gue-sung’s corner kick with a header to Adam, who slot the ball in front of the net.

With Gangwon unable to add any more until the end of the match, Ulsan secured their third-ever K league title at the blow of the whistle.

Martin Adam of Ulsan Hyundai, right, celebrates with his teammates after scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Gangwon FC on Sunday at Chuncheon Songam Leports Town in Gangwon to secure their K League 1 title. [YONHAP]

“The 90 minutes felt very long today,” said Hong on Sunday.

“It took Ulsan 17 years to win this trophy, and I think the players did their best to concrete the win today. The three matches in the past week were tough for the players, and I want to thank them for doing their best and not giving up until the end.”

This is Ulsan’s third regular season victory after winning in 1996 and 2005. After finishing runner up for the last three years, Ulsan has had a total of 10 runner-up finishes, the most in the league.

“I want to thank the fans,” said Hong. “Last year was my first time in the K League, and this year is my second. I started this season thinking that I should not repeat the same mistakes that I made last year. I want to thank the fans for rooting for us during our highs and lows.”

With Ulsan securing the trophy, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will not be able to take home any silverware for the first time in five years. Jeonbuk has the most K League 1 regular season titles, at nine, and has swept the trophies since 2017.

Ulsan will play their final match of the season against Jeju United on Sunday at home.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]