Daejeon pull off another upset to hand Ulsan first loss of the season

Football

Published: 17 Apr. 2023, 16:24 Updated: 29 Apr. 2023, 08:28

Daejeon pull off another upset to hand Ulsan first loss of the season

Lee Jin-hyun, right, scores the opening goal for Daejeon Hana Citizen in a K League game against Ulsan Hyundai at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon on Sunday. [YONHAP]

K League leaders Ulsan Hyundai missed out on an opportunity to tie a K League season opening record with a seven-game winning streak on Sunday, instead losing 2-1 to newly-promoted upstarts Daejeon Hana Citizen.

Sunday’s game was Ulsan’s chance to become the first K League team to mark seven consecutive wins to start a season in 20 years — Seongnam FC were the last team to do so in 2003.

But Ulsan instead became the latest victim of the unpredictable Daejeon, who seized the lead just nine minutes into the match with a goal from Lee Jin-hyun. Ulsan tied things up with Gustav Ludwigson’s equalizer in the 18th minute, but conceded another goal to Lee Hyun-sik in injury time at the end of the first half.

Daejeon held on to that 2-1 lead for the rest of the game, ultimately snapping Ulsan’s six-game winning streak and proving once again that they should not be considered an underdog this season.

The victory pushed the newly-promoted side up one spot to third, with Ulsan hold on to first place.

Sunday's upset followed another big game on Saturday, when FC Seoul held the Pohang Steelers to a 1-1 draw on the road in Pohang, North Gyeongsang.

FC Seoul's Na Sang-ho, center, celebrates after scoring a goal in a K League game against the Pohang Steelers at Pohang Steel Yard in Pohang, North Gyeongsang in a photo shared on FC Seoul's official Facebook account on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

FC Seoul got off to a smooth start with an early goal in the second minute from a Na Sang-ho direct free kick. That goal marked Na’s third consecutive goal in three league games.

The capital side attempted to take advantage of the early security, but ended up conceding the equalizer to Kim In-sung in the 42nd minute.
Both sides recorded multiple shots in the second half, but neither was able to break through.

With a point each, the Steelers held on to second place and FC Seoul slipped down to fourth.

The last-place Suwon Samsung Bluewings, still without a win this season, faced Jeju United in Suwon, Gyeonggi on the same day.

The Bluewings started the game on the right foot as Rodrigo Bassani opened the scoring in the seventh minute.

Jeju bounced back, however, with an equalizer from Yuri Jonathan in the 21st minute. They played more aggressively in the second half and scored another goal in the 48th minute with Isnairo Reis’s header.

Reis then went on to score his second and the team’s No. 3 in the 62nd minute. The Bluewings’ Yu Je-ho scored a goal in the 79th minute, but they ended up with a 3-2 loss, ultimately failing to secure their first league win of the season.

The Suwon Samsung Bluewings celebrate after Yu Je-ho's goal in a K League game against Jeju United at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi in a photo shared on the Bluewings' official Facebook account on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Bluewings stayed in last place following the loss, while Jeju jumped three places to seventh.

The Bluewings’ local rivals Suwon FC, on the other hand, recorded a 1-0 win against last season’s runners-up Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Jeonbuk displayed a decent performance as they managed nine shots on target — one less than Suwon FC — but still failed to get on the scoresheet.

Jeonbuk have only managed two wins out of seven games so far, the club's worst start since 2008. Jeonbuk fans have been calling for the resignation of manager Kim Sang-sik in response to the team’s poor performance this season.

With yet another loss, Jeonbuk fell places to ninth, while Suwon FC held on to sixth.

The newly-promoted Gwangju FC also managed a victory on Sunday as they beat Daegu FC 4-3 in Daegu. Gwangju stayed in fifth place with the win, while Daegju fell two spots to 10th.

Gwangju FC's Timo Letschert, left, in action during a K League game against Daegu FC at DGB Daegu Bank Park in Daegu in a photo shared on Gwangju's official Facebook account on Sunday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Meanwhile, the winless Gangwon failed to secure their first win of the season with a 2-0 loss to Incheon.

The K League will continue next week, with FC Seoul facing the Bluewings in the capital on Saturday. Ulsan and the Steelers will also clash on the same day in Ulsan, at the same time as Daegu take on Daejeon at home. The match between Incheon United and Suwon FC will be the last match on Saturday.

Gwangju will then play Gangwon at home on Sunday, followed by Jeju’s clash with Jeonbuk at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, Jeju.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]